Participatory approach, mixed methods, and urban sustainable development in the Horizon 2020 URBiNAT project

This study examines critically the methodologies used in the H2020 EU Financed URBiNAT (Urban Innovative and Inclusive Nature) project, with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of different methods analysing intervention areas in deprived urban environments prior to the implementation of nature-based solutions. The main contribution focuses on the challenges faced when intersecting objective data with subjective ones collected from citizens: our hypothesis is that mapping both qualitative and quantitative data is indispensable for evidence-based urban planning and offers outstanding potential for gaining useful insight into urban spaces and their impact on citizens. The URBiNAT project introduces and tests a mixed-method approach for urban design, project assessment and monitoring valuation based on multidisciplinary work. For the underserved intervention areas, a new concept, the so-called Healthy Corridor (HC), has been introduced by URBiNAT researchers. Different areas or neighbourhoods of the city have been connected through healthy corridors, which consist of innovative and flexible NBS, i.e. many micro NBS emerging from community-driven processes and boosting environmental, economic, and social sustainability and cohesion. By emphasizing the growing significance of participatory techniques, our research stresses the synergistic benefits of employing diverse methods in urban planning. The city of Nova Gorica is a practical example of the applied participatory approach. The outcomes of the URBiNAT project are a benchmark providing practical insight for future attempts to evaluate effectively and transform urban intervention zones.