Building Climate-Resilient Cities Through Nature-Based Solutions

Led by Dr Feng Mao from the School for Cross-Faculty Studies, University of Warwick and Prof Junxiang Li from the School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, this research project addresses one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how to make megacities more resilient to climate change.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) use ecosystems such as green spaces, wetlands, and urban forests, to reduce climate risks like flooding, heatwaves, and poor air quality. But implementing these solutions in dense, fast-changing cities is complex. This project takes Shanghai and London as comparative case studies and combines design thinking, environmental modelling, and spatial analytics to create data-driven strategies tailored to each city’s unique context. It tackles key technical challenges, including predicting long-term impacts, comparing strategies across different urban environments, and turning scientific evidence into actionable plans.

The project expects to deliver outputs ranging from high-impact journal articles to joint proposals for major international funding, laying the foundation for future large-scale initiatives. Beyond this specific research, this project aims to build a sustained international collaboration between the two Schools, exploring opportunities such as joint undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, early-career scholar forums, and joint research labs.

By integrating theory, technology, and design, this collaboration aims to transform how cities prepare for climate change, creating healthier, more resilient urban habitats for generations to come.