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Nature-based solutions, which integrate natural processes into urban environments to address societal challenges, are increasingly promoted for enhancing urban sustainability. However, their distribution and accessibility remain uneven, particularly in marginalised communities. While most research emphasises their ecological performance, less attention has been given to how nature-based solutions relate to patterns of social vulnerability, especially when considering both their quantity and quality. This study investigates the intersection of nature-based solutions characteristics and social vulnerability in Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm, applying a composite social vulnerability index, cluster analysis, and comparative methods. The findings reveal that socially vulnerable communities frequently coincide with areas of reduced nature-based solutions coverage and lower-quality green spaces. High Gini coefficients and significant spatial clusters indicate a persistent inequality in both the quantity and quality of nature-based solutions across urban landscapes, even within cities known for strong welfare and environmental planning systems. These findings suggest that current urban greening strategies often remain insufficiently attuned to social vulnerability and may unintentionally reinforce existing spatial inequalities. The study highlights the importance of integrating social vulnerability into nature-based solutions planning and evaluation, moving beyond generalised greening toward approaches that explicitly consider where, how, and for whom urban nature is delivered.
Asl et al. (Tue,) studied this question.