GOVERNING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRY CITIES: A BIBLIOMETRIC MAPPING OF URBAN SUSTAINABILITY, INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Abstract

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a critical instrument for advancing urban sustainability and climate resilience, particularly in developing countries where rapid economic-driven urbanization intensifies exposure to climate risks. There is little theoretical coherence and well-organized knowledge regarding patterns of collaboration. The current paper aims at filling this gap by conducting a high-quality bibliometric systematic literature review (B-SLR) of 1,260 articles included in the Scopus database since 2006. The paper uses performance analysis, science- mapping methods, with the help of Bibliometrics package and VOS viewer, to analyze the results of scientific production, journals and sources impact, most active authors and institutions, citation patterns, collaboration, co-occurring keywords and thematic development. The findings show that publication activity remained modest from 2006 to 2013, accelerated after 2015 and surged markedly following global climate policy shifts, including the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, post-COVID urban recovery and a renewed focus on sustainable development. The findings also show major governance biases between the institutions of the developed and developing countries with the knowledge creation being disproportionately generative in the Global North due to the asymmetries in the institutional capacity and bringing implications of the lack of transferability of NbS policies in various urban settings. The study provides a critical mapping of the intellectual framework and development of the NbS research in the past 20 years, which enables both scholars, policymakers and practitioners interested in developing NbS strategies to achieve sustainable and climate-resilient urban development.