Nature-Based, Climate-Adaptive Urban Regeneration of Streetscapes: Challenges and Opportunities for a Design-Oriented Framework

The need to integrate climate-adaptive design into urban regeneration through green and blue strategies is becoming apparent at various scales and geographies due to the escalating impact of climate change. Cities worldwide are transforming their streetscapes through the implementation of Nature-based solutions (NbS) to be more prepared and proactively adjust to present and future climate impacts, simultaneously addressing social, economic, and environmental issues considered from a spatial design perspective. Grounded in a theoretical framework that explores the interconnectedness between urban regeneration practices, policies of Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and urban resilience, and their insights within Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES), the contribution aims to overcome conceptual and operational gaps concerning the design and implementation of nature based, climate-adaptive design strategies for streetscapes. Within two European-funded research studies, the paper, besides exploring limits and opportunities, aims to define design principles and procedures for the urban streetscape’s regeneration based on nature-based, climate- adaptive design strategies. To go beyond the present limits, a three-phase Research by Design methodology has been adopted, defining different relations between research and design, which can support a deeper understanding of the current and urgent phenomena from a design-driven perspective. The paper thus discusses these phases, highlighting their different contributions and outcomes, and introduces its pilot project of Matera, where some streetscapes’ experiment-actions are taking place. Through these cases, the article discusses the impact of nature on human well-being, social cohesion, and cultural identity through cultural ecosystem services. By designing streetscapes that provide regulating services, recreation, education, and aesthetic appreciation, cities can create multifunctional spaces that resonate with local communities, foster a sense of place, and improve space quality. The framework’s potential for replicability and upscaling could address the current gap in research and practical applications in Mediterranean cities.