Sposoby budowania odporności miejskiej oraz wizerunku małych miast przy pomocy rozwiązań opartych o naturę
Building urban resilience and the image of small towns through nature – based solution

Summary/Abstract: Cities all over the world are launching new initiatives designed to build their resilience against the effects of climate catastrophe. In the largest Polish cities (over 100,000 inhabitants), strategic documents setting out directions for their adaptation to new climate conditions have been drawn up. Currently, there is an ongoing discussion on the necessity of working out similar solutions for medium-sized and small towns (with no more than 20,000 inhabitants), and against the background of this debate, the author of this article puts forward a thesis that for medium-sized and small towns, it is essential to develop solutions aimed at building urban resilience to the current and future effects of climate change. Such measures will not only be of a protective character but will also contribute to a range of other beneficial transformations aimed at building and strengthening so-called socio-ecological systems. This will be possible through implementing new forms of urban greenery in the structures of cities – tools referred to as nature-based solutions (NBS). The use of such solutions in small towns is economically justified due to the lower costs of their construction and use – compared to the so-called grey adaptation infrastructure. NBS tools also offer additional benefits in the form of ecosystem services. They can also be used to regenerate small-town landscapes, build the image of CittaSlow cities and so-called green cities. Solutions of this type are already being used in large cities, and there is now a shift towards a more naturalistic form. The article cites the example of Paris, where it is important to combine building urban resilience while enhancing its biodiversity. These plantings are accentuated in the city space by surrounding them with wooden fences. These tools can serve as inspiration for urban planners in Poland and complement the catalog of NBS solutions that should be implemented in cities of various scales, including small towns. The research leading to these results has received funding from the EEA Grants 2014–2021 via the National Centre for Research and Development.

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