Nature-Based Solutions in Cities: State of the Field and Pathways to Systemic Investment
A cities-first assessment of governance, implementation and finance across the Americas
A collaborative report led by the Center for Regenerative Solutions with the Urban Biodiversity Hub and the Humboldt Institute, with contributions from ICLEI Europe and municipal practitioners across the Americas.
Cities across the Americas are investing in urban forests, green infrastructure, restored waterways, resilient landscapes and other nature-based solutions. Yet many initiatives remain fragmented across departments, dependent on short-term grants, and difficult to finance or scale.
Led by the Center for Regenerative Solutions in collaboration with regional and international partners, this report examines how cities are governing, implementing and financing urban nature-based solutions in practice. Drawing on municipal interviews, regional research, practitioner experience and comparative lessons from Europe, it will identify the institutional arrangements, financing pathways and enabling conditions required to move from isolated projects toward durable, scalable urban systems.
The report is designed for senior municipal and county decision-makers, utilities, public agencies, institutional funders, development finance institutions, philanthropic organizations, investors and intermediaries working to accelerate high-integrity urban nature-based solutions.
Report release and public launch planned for September 2026.
What the report will deliver
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A cities-first synthesis of how urban nature-based solutions are currently governed, implemented and financed across the Americas.
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Practical models that help cities and funders assess institutional maturity, cross-department coordination, delivery capacity and financing readiness.
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Standardized examples covering governance arrangements, project scale, capital stacks, financing instruments, outcomes, risks and conditions for replication.
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Recommendations for cities, funders and intermediaries, including a potential next-stage cohort to help selected cities strengthen governance and build finance-ready project pipelines.
STATE-OF-THE-FIELD ASSESSMENT
A cities-first synthesis of how urban nature-based solutions are currently governed, implemented and financed across the Americas.
GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE ARCHETYPES
Practical models that help cities and funders assess institutional maturity, cross-department coordination, delivery capacity and financing readiness.
Built from municipal experience across the Americas
The report builds on five years of CRS practitioner engagement and a new evidence base developed with project partners. It combines interviews with cities and counties in North and Latin America, regional research, survey evidence, case analysis, and transferable lessons from European practice.
The analysis focuses not only on visible success stories, but also on the operational realities that determine whether projects endure: fragmented mandates, political turnover, maintenance responsibilities, procurement constraints, revenue uncertainty, measurement gaps, transaction costs and the availability of long-term capital.
Who this report is for
Primary audiences include municipal and county executives, planning and public works leaders, utilities, municipal finance officers, development finance institutions, philanthropic funders, impact investors, insurers, asset managers and organizations structuring blended finance or city-support programs.
The report is intended to help these decision-makers distinguish between promising concepts and implementation-ready opportunities, identify the governance conditions needed before capital is deployed, and understand where public, philanthropic, blended and private finance can play credible roles.
From assessment to implementation
The findings will also inform the design of a potential next-stage cohort supporting a small group of cities to strengthen cross-department governance, develop high-integrity project pipelines, and mobilize appropriate implementation finance.
The cohort concept is under development. Cities, funders and implementation partners interested in contributing to its design are invited to contact the project team.
Project partners and report leadership
The report is led by the Center for Regenerative Solutions in collaboration with the Urban Biodiversity Hub and the Humboldt Institute, with contributions from ICLEI Europe and participating municipal and county practitioners across the Americas.
REPORT LEAD AND PRINCIPAL AUTHOR
Philipp Walter, Founder, EcoCapitalOne; former Head of Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions, ICLEI Europe
Philipp Walter leads the report’s cross-regional synthesis, with a particular focus on governance, finance and investment readiness. His work connects municipal nature and biodiversity priorities with institutional arrangements, financing pathways and scalable implementation models.
