Nature-based solutions can be a great way to create green jobs and support local economies. As world economies transition towards nature-positive, cities and urban practitioners need tools to support the adoption and upscaling of NbS in a way that can be financed sustainably.

Designing, delivering and managing NbS in a way that can provide social and economic benefits, while also tackling other considerations like resilience and biodiversity can be challenging. There are many moving parts and players to consider. This guidebook, intended to be a living document, focuses on financing and sustainable busines models for NbS for cities and urban pracitioners. The contents of the guide are meant as a tool to help cities to track progress and adapt plans to encourage scaling NbS across cities and region. Cultivating City Lahti (Finland) was instrumental in making the guide, providing tangible input from the city perspective.

While meeting climate and biodiversity targets is important to selecting NbS, attention should also be given to making sure that city strategies also prioritise health and well-being. These priorities are also very important to the GoGreenRoutes mission of using NbS towards co-benefits for biological, psychological, social and environmental health (known as the 360 Health approach). The newly released Concept to Innovation Guidebook is an important tool, as financing and supporting further spread of NbS and green initaitives ensures long lasting impact and sustianability of NbS implementation.

The living document is broken into four main sections:

• Introduction
• Finance, business models and nature-based entrepreneurship
• The Concept to Delivery Innovation Guide
• Resources

This guidebook was produced by Isobel Fletcher, Horizon Nua; Esmee Koojman, Centre for Social Innovation, Trinity College Dublin and Taru Suutari, City of Lahti with contributions from the GGR consoritum. Read the guide in full here.