Urban greening for climate resilient and sustainable cities: grand challenges and opportunities

Urban greening plays a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience, environmental quality, public health, and societal wellbeing. Policy makers at all levels are increasingly embracing greening and other nature-based solutions; however, successful implementation of these approaches requires a multidisciplinary strategy involving collaboration, community engagement, and adaptive interventions. This paper synthesizes key insights from an expert panel, comprising representatives of government agencies, research institutions, private sector, and local authorities, forming an international panel of experts, convened by the RECLAIM Network Plus (https://www.reclaim-network.org). Funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), this network project brings together over 650 members from 40 plus countries. It provides national leadership in urban greening, serving as a “one-stop-shop” for towns and cities to access green and blue infrastructure support, resources, and peer connections. The paper highlights grand challenges, priorities, successful case studies and opportunities in urban greening initiatives. The importance of strategic planning is also addressed, together with technological advancements and access to suitable data for maximizing the impact of green infrastructure as well as innovative funding models, such as corporate social responsibility and green finance. This work highlights the importance of an integrated, inclusive, and forward-thinking approach to urban greening for more resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities. Further, it emphasizes the need for cross-sector collaboration among local authorities, researchers, and businesses, as well as community involvement in successful planning for both short- and long-term outcomes. Ultimately, urban greening strategies must be informed by future climate scenarios while prioritizing equity and social justice to ensure adaptation options benefitting all communities.