Nature in nature-based solutions: understanding the discourses of nature in the UNaLab project in Tampere, Finland

Abstract

Discourses, actions, narratives, and solutions that deal with challenges in cities posed by the climate crisis have been increasingly integrated into the governance of the urban space, such as the case of nature-based solutions (NbS). This thesis focuses on nature-based solutions through one specific project, the UNaLab (Urban nature lab), an urban living lab that implemented NbS in the city of Tampere, Finland. The present thesis is an exploratory case study that investigates the meanings of nature expressed by the discourses of implementation of the UNaLab project through discourse analysis. Data were generated from five (5) semi-structured interviews, one (1) focus group, one (1) participant-observation visit in one of UNaLab’s events (invasive species workshop), and six (6) blog posts. This research identified five (5) dimensions in the literature review as relevant for the data analysis. The dimensions were knowledge, stakeholder engagement, co-creation, biodiversity, and sustainability. The study addresses multiple gaps in the scientific literature of NbS. First, it brings social and community perspectives to the NbS literature by focusing on discourses and social understandings around nature. Secondly, it contributes to building a body of knowledge on what is understood as nature in NbS, which so far has been a weakness in the definition of NbS, despite being a core category of the concept. Third, studies like this one that investigates discourses of implementation are rare. Finally, this thesis fills a gap in policy studies that analyse mainly written text by integrating data from interviews, a focus group, and a participant-observation visit. The findings indicate that there is no clear and unified understanding of nature across the UNaLab implementation discourses. Whereas some discourses expressed cartesian meanings of an objectified reality, other discourses highlighted nature’s imaginaries as kinship and ancestry. Some discourses echoed a technocratic discourse over the management of nature, which prescribes a technical treatment over the definition of problems around NbS. The findings indicate that meanings and views of nature go through a process of projectification, which filters the worldviews and meanings of nature. This study makes significant theoretical contributions by supporting ideas that are explored in existing literature, such as the challenges of implementing solutions derived from a “boundary concept”. This study also contests some points made in the literature, for example, that replicate conceptualisations of NbS from global organisations without reflecting critically on their meanings. New perspectives were also contributed through this study by exploring how discourse analysis could consider the agency of nature beyond humanity and by offering some pathways for governance with concrete recommendations. Finally, this study highlights an unexplored area in the literature, more specifically, the significance of bringing social sciences into exploring governance aspects that relate not only to traditionally “social” factors, such as communities and societies but also to contribute to the knowledge of nature.