Nature has the potential to underpin modern mobility systems – from flood protection for roads, to temperature regulation for rail infrastructure, to slope stabilisation along transport corridors.
Too often, nature is viewed as a project risk or cost. But treating it as productive capital changes investment logic.
The Connecting the Culm project in the UK recently caught our attention as an interesting example of what this shift in perspective can look like. The project team is working with Network Rail to explore how the latter could tackle flood disruptions along the Great Western Main Line by investing in nature-based solutions upstream of vulnerable rail infrastructure – from floodplain reconnection to improved soil infiltration and tree planting.
The potential impact?
- Reduced flood peaks at key pinch points
- More reliable rail services for passengers and freight
- Co-benefits for biodiversity, water quality, and local communities
Across Europe, the Climate City Capital Hub is set up to help cities use this kind of systems-level thinking to develop innovative mobility projects that deliver positive outcomes for communities, nature, and the environment.
“Initiatives such as those illustrated by the Culm Valley project are exactly the kind of investable, scalable nature-based solutions that the Capital Hub is designed to support, especially as cities, transport authorities, and investors rethink how to finance climate-resilient mobility,” comments Harry Wain, Associate at BwB.
Should nature-based solutions be treated as standard, bankable assets in transport investment? We’d love to hear your perspective.
To read more about the Connecting the Culm project, or to learn more about the Capital Hub, please follow this link.