Introducing the environmental justice perspective in the evaluation of NbS implementation; Chania, Crete case study

Abstract

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can address environmental and societal challenges that have emerged in modern cities. However, a challenge that arises with the implementation of NbS is achieving a just distribution of their benefits. A significant body of research discusses the unequal distribution of green spaces and their benefits in cities around the world in the framework of environmental justice discourse. Research on the intersection of NbS benefits and distributive environmental justice has mainly studied the city scale and there is a lack of studies on how small scale NbS interventions affect the local population on a neighborhood scale and their role in addressing distributive environmental justice. In Chania, a green wall and green roof are planned to be implemented on the 5-storey municipal parking building, in a concrete dominated area of the city centre. With this small-scale NbS implementation as a starting point, this paper evaluates its prospective impact on thermal comfort and air quality as well as its implications in distributional justice for the neighborhood. Established indicators for NbS performance and impact evaluation have been calculated: 1. Number of days during which air quality parameters in ambient air exceed threshold values for air quality evaluation and 2. Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) for thermal comfort evaluation. The results indicate the limited, localized potential of the planned NbS and the need for a network of strategically planned small-scale NbS to achieve environmental justice in existing dense urban environments.