Nature-Based Solutions for a Circular Water Economy: Examples of New Green Infrastructure

As global environmental problems are increasing the pressure on the built environment and ecosystems, we understand better the complexity and interrelation of these problems. It is more and more realized that the traditional problem-solving approach is not the optimum way to effectively deal with these issues and needs to be redefined. Circular economy appears not only as a new economic model but also as a new way of thinking, where resource efficiency, waste minimization, redesign, and zero emissions are in focus. This approach implies that new tools and, in particular, new technologies are necessary to meet these criteria. Nature-based solutions (NbS) are ecological engineering concepts inspired by nature that provide solutions to many of the existing pressing problems along with various ecosystem services, such as enhanced biodiversity and improved well-being. In the urban built environment, water is a key and necessary resource for the society, the economy, and the ecosystems that are shared across the entire supply chain. NbS in the urban water management field can play an important role in the transition to a circular water economy. This chapter discusses the role of NbS through different case studies and approaches.