Four years, six cities, nearly a hundred meetings involving hundreds of stakeholders. This could be one way of framing our co-creative process on nature-based solutions took place as part of the NATURVATION project.

Impressive as these numbers may be, they tell us precious little about the Urban-Regional Innovation Partnerships, the six groups that went to great lengths to integrate nature-based solutions into local projects, plans and policies.

By telling their stories, we want to ensure that others can learn from the partnerships they painstakingly build and sustained. And beautiful as this book may be, it doesn’t gloss over the challenges that were encountered and overcome along the way.

It is our hope that this book entitled Making Urban Nature Bloom will inspire you to undertake a collaborative journey of your own, one which will cast your city’s nature in a new light – as the foundation for a sustainable urban future.