Seed2Green
Seed2Green: Bringing Nature into the City Center: Toward Robust, Water-Efficient, and Socially Integrated Micro-NbS for Optimized Ecosystem Services
Scientific supervisor: Jérémie SAGE
Host institution: CEREMA
Context
Seed2Green focuses on the design and implementation of very small-scale Nature-based Solutions (ranging from a few square meters to a few dozen square meters) (μNbS), dedicated to greening dense urban centers and tailored to the significant spatial constraints that characterize them.
The project explores how optimized design approaches, the use of passive stormwater-based water supply, and the adaptation of management strategies can promote the deployment of μNbS that are ecologically sound, water-efficient, resilient, and socially integrated, thereby maximizing the ecosystem services provided, particularly for urban adaptation to climate change and the mitigation of urban pressures on ecosystems. The study area encompasses the city of Paris and the densely populated areas of the inner suburbs. The project nevertheless aims to develop methods as well as design and management principles that are replicable and transferable to other dense urban contexts.
The project
Given the central role that water availability plays in the ability of NbS to deliver their co-benefits, and the need to assess the pressures their deployment may place on water resources, efforts will be made to improve current approaches to estimating water needs. Current practices in the implementation and management of μNbS, as well as associated perceptions, will be documented through qualitative surveys covering both public and private spaces.
Passive vegetation irrigation designs using rainwater will be developed and tested at the mesocosm scale, then optimized for current and future climatic conditions using numerical modeling tools. The response of vegetation and soils to different water supply and maintenance strategies, as well as their implications for the ecosystem functioning of μNbS, their co-benefits, and their resilience to climate extremes, will be examined.
This work will be based on in situ observations of NbS identified in collaboration with the technical departments responsible for their management. Detailed monitoring of mesocosms will complement these observations. The hydrological and thermal regulation services provided by optimized μNbS designs will be evaluated, and socio-cultural services will be addressed by testing the adaptability of existing indicators to the specific characteristics of μNbS, as well as through surveys of residents. Finally, the identified designs and management approaches for μNbS will inform a discussion on their potential for deployment across the city of Paris.