Leveraging nature-based solutions for place making in cities: insights from a scoping review and a proposal for transformative place making

Abstract Non-Technical Summary Cities are increasingly adopting nature-based solutions (NbS) to improve urban spaces and respond to urgent climate challenges. These projects can support urban sustainability, resilience, and place making. However, how to leverage NbS for urban transformation remains insufficiently understood. This review develops a theoretical framework for planning transformative place making with NbS through three mechanisms: rethinking routine practices, reconnecting people with urban nature, and reimagining the future of place. The framework positions transformative place making with NbS as a pathway of urban transformation. It is more than adding green; it is a dynamic process of creating engaging, connected, and future-oriented places. Technical Summary NbS, regarded as an effective response to urban agglomeration and climate adaptation, have the potential to promote different aspects of place making. Place making has incorporated sustainable and environmental concerns, evolving into a more pluralistic concept. However, the recognized outcomes and mechanisms for planning NbS for place making remain underexplored. This scoping review examines 128 peer-reviewed articles to identify how NbS are employed for place making in cities, developing a conceptual framework comprising three interconnected leveraging mechanisms – rethinking, reconnecting, and reimagining – operationalized through six levers. Our findings show that transformative place making with NbS is not about adding nature, but about a dynamic process of rethinking routine practices, focusing on experimental innovations and deepening knowledge and experiential learning; reconnecting with local nature, valuing direct experience, inherent values, and emotional resonance; and reimagining the future of place through forward-looking governance. The transformative mindset, manifesting as social–ecological worldviews and relational values of urban nature, underlies the levers for transformative place making with NbS. These mechanisms provide a reference for planning and facilitating transformative place making, shifting urban systems toward resilience. This review emphasizes systems thinking, long-term dynamics, and contextual sensitivity for utilizing NbS as a catalyst for transformative place making. Social Media Summary NbS enable transformative place making by rethinking practices, reconnecting people and nature, and reimagining futures.