Mobilizing Nature-Based Solutions Through Temporary Urban Interventions: A Civic Guide to Ephemeral Landscapes

Abstract

The potential of permeable urban landscapes has gained increasing attention in contemporary academic scholarship on nature-based solutions (Nbs). The common thread of these solutions is related to pressing issues arising from responses to climate change caused by urban densification, necessitating innovative strategies for enhancing environmental resilience. However, these strategies often require extensive timeframes and large-scale implementation. In contrast, temporary approaches to urbanism have the potential to provide answers to these strategies by focusing on citizen-engaged, small-scale, low-cost and low-tech actions. This study engages these two planning approaches in dialogue by focusing on overlooked urban interstices—small and unnoticed impervious spaces that have significant potential to become permeable. Developing a conceptual framework, the research explores how ephemeral installations can transform these interstices into nature-based, scalable and socially engaged landscapes. Applying this framework, the study adopts prototyping as an experimental research method, structured around three phases: (1) experimentation: incorporating nature-based aggregates, (2) fabrication: forming scalable and modular tiles, and (3) dissemination: creating social value with workshops. Building over the findings of these phases, the paper concludes with a proposal for a civic urban guide that outlines all these practical strategies for activating underutilized spaces through accessible and low-maintenance interventions. The guide aims to inspire civic engagement and environmental awareness, offering a model for small-scale, bottom-up interventions in line with broader Nbs objectives. In doing so, the research proposes a comprehensive approach to urban resilience that bridges planning theories, material experimentation, and public engagement.