Co-creating a development plan for a catchment area in Malmö

The Malmö pilot will not implement a single solution, but instead create a development plan for the whole catchment area of Riseberga stream. There are several challenges within the catchment area like flooding, erosion and pollution that will worsen with climate change and that needs to be addressed. With the right kind of solutions, there is a great potential to improve water retention, as well as enhance biodiversity and make the area more suitable for recreation.

There are different processes already going on within the city that are affecting the stream. The first meetings and workshops that were held during the spring in Malmö had the aim to coordinate and align visions and needs with different city departments, organisations and companies. To be able to implement the results from the project, it must be compatible with the overall development plans for the city and to be set for a common goal.

So far, the co-creation process has included all relevant city departments and experts, the utility company, Water council, Swedish Anglers Association, and an urban development company. Together with stakeholders, baseline scenarios were developed that stated that the development plan must consider flooding, erosion and water quality, and that the solutions should be implemented in a way that also improves biodiversity and recreational values.

Next step for the Malmö pilot is to dig deeper into a specific area that is undergoing urban development in the years to come, and analyse potential nature-based solutions together with the urban development company and city planners. Here, the co-creation process can lead to solutions with a holistic approach that meets the baseline scenarios and can act as a good example for the rest of the catchment area.

In City Blues, the overall aim is to support adaptation to negative effects of climate change and to improve green and blue infrastructure of densifying cities through integrated nature-based solutions (NBS). Furthermore, the goal is to make the living environment for the inhabitants more inclusive, healthy, and attractive.

Text: Therése Ehrnstén, City of Malmö

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