Balancing social and economic impacts of nature-based solutions for storm water management = Équilibrer les impacts sociaux et économiques des solutions écologiques pour la gestion des eaux pluviales

Abstract

Urban green and blue spaces are put under pressure as urban areas grow, develop and evolve. It isincreasingly recognized, however, that green/blue spaces provide critical ecosystem services -including regulating (flood control), habitat (biodiversity) and cultural (aesthetic and recreational)services. These so-called nature-based solutions for flood risk adaptation are a key priority on theEuropean research and policy agenda, given their contribution to welfare and human well-being. Theestablishment of nature-based solutions may, however, lead to gentrification where increased realestate demand from higher-income households leads to increased real estate values and thedisplacement of lower-income households. This paper aims to assess and compare the social andeconomic impacts of nature-based solutions in an urban-requalification project in the Confluence(Lyon, France), using the Sustainable Urbanizing Landscape Development (SULD) hedonic pricingsimulation model. Results show three major tendencies regarding the establishment of nature-basedsolutions in urban landscapes: i) population densities increase, ii) real estate values rise, and iii)demographic distribution patterns change. These gentrification effects may be dampened by, amongstothers, the simultaneous requalification of major road infrastructure that leads to reduceddisplacement of lower-income households.