What is NbS-CoBaS

Assessing the psychosocial co-benefits of urban nature

In recent years, nature-based solutions (NBS) have often been used in urban regeneration interventions to improve the resilience and comfort of our urban environments, helping to improve the environmental quality and cultural functions of ecosystems, including the physiological, social and mental health and well-being of people. The NbS-CoBAs tool has been developed to assess these co-benefits, on which literature is limited. Co-benefits include psychological restoration, social cohesion, sense of belonging, feeling of security and environmental justice. However, this tool is useless if it is not used, as it is necessary for users of these places to share their perception in order to know what these psychosocial benefits of urban naturalisation are. For this reason, we invite you to participate in this study by sharing your opinions on some of the selected urban public spaces in the Basque Country.

The study of the co-benefits of NBS is particularly related to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 3 on good health and well-being, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities and SDG 13 on climate action.