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Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Urban Design
Josh MacPhee
4th December 2024

This article explores how Nature-based Solutions, including green and blue infrastructure, sustainable water management and urban heat island mitigation, are transforming urban design.

The integration of sustainable solutions in masterplanning has recently focused on a trend towards Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and their application within the design process. NbS is a term for a range of approaches that share a fundamental principle: designing in harmony with natural forces, cycles and seasons rather than supervening them.

What are Nature-Based Solutions?

NbS are defined as actions and approaches that “protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems,” whilst simultaneously supporting human activity and bringing well-being and biodiversity benefits.

They are increasingly recognised as an innovative approach to land and urban development, aiming to enhance resilience. The UN highlights them as robust and resilient, offering high returns in health and economic benefits, and presenting a more sustainable alternative to traditional grey infrastructure.

NbS utilise natural resources like clean air, water and soil to tackle environmental challenges, working with nature rather than against it. In contrast, unsustainable land and resource use contributes to biodiversity loss, increased pollution, deforestation and other negative impacts. They support ecosystems, societies and individuals in adapting to climate change while enhancing quality of life.

Urban Green and Blue Infrastructure Design

Urban Green and Blue Infrastructure (UGBI) within masterplans support sustainable development principles, enhance ecological conservation and contribute to community well-being.

These networks create a spatial foundation for NbS, integrating them to increase their collective impact. Composed of interconnected green and blue ecosystems through corridors and open spaces, they help the urban fabric adapt to climate change pressures, including flooding, drought, urban heat islands and habitat loss.

Green infrastructure refers to natural and semi-natural systems that provide multiple environmental, social and economic benefits, while blue infrastructure encompasses water bodies and systems, such as ponds, rain gardens, lakes, wetlands and stormwater management features.

When designed optimally, UGBI can provide numerous benefits to residents, including reduced urban heat island effect, enhanced walkability and bike-ability, improved outdoor comfort, better stormwater management, reduced pollution, increased natural habitats and biodiversity and improved ecosystem services.

By integrating UGBI, the masterplan can showcase a commitment to environmental stewardship and resilience in response to changing climatic conditions, while also enhancing the quality of life for both residents and visitors.

Understanding a workable green and blue network is central to any effective water management strategy. In Broadway Malyan’s Muscat Structure Plan, we addressed the city’s unique topography, located on a plain between the mountains and the coast. In this predominantly dry climate, sudden and heavy rainfall often leads to storm surges. To mitigate this, the plan incorporated the remediation and enhancement of the Wadis running between the upland and the sea. Restoring habitats along the river courses and recognising their role in mitigation and their value as amenities, has become a key element of the broader long-term structural plan.

Sustainable Water Management

Urban centres are increasingly burdened by the high costs of managing water pollution, droughts and flooding. These challenges can be mitigated through sustainable water management practices, such as water capture and retention within the landscape, reopening waterways, managing water in public spaces and incorporating permeable pavements. These measures help reintegrate water into our living environments, offering significant benefits for both public health and the broader ecosystem.

This strategy focuses on retaining and using water locally, allowing nature to absorb and filter the water. A "sponge city" approach retains water at its source, slowing runoff and preventing downstream flooding. Sustainable water management creates a holistic system that enhances natures resilience by slowing the water cycle. This is crucial because densely built environments, high pressure on water resources and extensive paved surfaces all disrupt the natural water cycle. This accelerated flow of water creates shortcuts that push water into downstream areas, raising the risk of flooding.


Given the economic realities of urban development, space for water, nature and thriving communities is limited, multifunctional spaces and solutions are essential. The key is to incorporate sustainable water management within the urban fabric. When designed well, this approach creates healthy urban environments that slow runoff, retain rainwater and recycle wastewater to reduce groundwater extraction. This approach creates spaces where people interact with water, and natural habitats serve multiple functions, including thermal comfort, air filtration, sound buffering, shade, recreation and slow mobility. Protecting and enhancing water resources and nature in cities is crucial for quality of life and combating climate change.

Broadway Malyan’s proposal for New Clark City in the Philippines includes an open space strategy featuring a green and blue grid of interconnected river channels, canals and parks across the city centre. This network plays a crucial role in enhancing biodiversity and resilience, with the capacity to retain and purify stormwater while managing runoff.

The proposal integrates biodiversity corridors and habitats, with the Central Park Lake envisioned as a fusion of engineering, landscape architecture and conservation. This integrated system combines physical, biological, mechanical and hydrological processes to mitigate and manage water flows throughout the city.

Urban Heat Island Mitigation

Urban Heat Island (UHI) occurs when urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than their rural surroundings, due to the urbanisation of the physical environment—such as buildings, surfaces and human activities. Materials and structures in the city core retain heat for longer periods than in rural areas. As a result, the UHI effect can intensify heat stress, increase energy consumption and contribute to air pollution.

To reduce heat stress, several measures can be incorporated into the design of masterplans. These include:

  • Increasing Green Space: Planting trees, allocating space for parks, utilising green roofs and linking these elements in a cohesive framework to maximise their collective cooling benefits.
  • Cool and Reflective Materials: Using materials with high reflectivity finishes to minimise heat absorption and reduce urban heat retention.
  • Water Features: Integrating fountains, ponds and other water elements to expose surface water and encourage movement, enhancing localised cooling effects.
  • Orientation: Strategically positioning the urban fabric and streets to optimise airflow and reduce heat retention.

Broadway Malyan incorporates these strategies within our masterplanning and urban design work, combining them in various configurations tailored to the specific project, location, user and client requirements.

CIBIS Business Park is a 12-hectare development located in Jakarta, Indonesia. The masterplan comprises nine towers organised around a central square. From the outset, extensive public realm was envisaged to create an attractive setting for the commercial accommodation, fostering a sense of community.

The approach was inspired by the Javenese planning concept ‘alun alun’ which refers to the traditional town square and heart of civic activity. The buildings are clustered around a central square which comprises nearly 1.5 hectares of open space.

Trees for shade, grasses and bushes all add necessary greenery to the site and, together with reflecting pools, offset the urban heat island effect. The square features a Banyan tree; a symbol of power and success in Javanese culture. The design of the landscaped area priorities pedestrians to create an amenity space that all can enjoy.