Nature-based solutions for climate change in Madrid

Aiming to develop a local approach to respond to this global challenge, Arup worked together with the Subdirectorate General for Energy and Climate Change of the Madrid City Council to prepare the Madrid + Natural  report – a series of guidelines to tackle climate change through multiple local solutions. 

Arup’s sustainability experts created a framework of 16 nature-based solutions (NBSs) that operate at three different scales: city, neighbourhood and building, with each one being key to increasing resilience and climate-change adaptation. The 16 solutions use nature as a source to regulate Madrid's urban environment and respond to problems such as: pollution, increased high winds and rainfall, very high temperatures and loss of biodiversity. Solutions include designing sustainable roofs and using resilient urban planning; restoring riverbanks and creating urban forests, and others.  

This forward-thinking report highlights the importance of greening buildings, infrastructure and open spaces in Madrid and proposes strategies to integrate nature into the urban fabric as a tool to address climate change, reinvigorate neighbourhoods, and improve wellbeing of dwellers. Following the Madrid + Nature framework could lower the average urban temperature by 4.5°C in summertime, saving 40% in cooling costs.