Nature-Based Improvements, Local Voices

Our research lab is proud to announce the publication of a new open-access paper, led by Dr. Erich Wolff and the team, titled “Nature for the people, by the people: Negotiating values, attitudes and behaviours for implementing urban nature-based solutions in social housing.” This study, conducted in the heart of Bangkok’s social housing communities, reveals how co-created urban nature can truly thrive when shaped by those who experience it every day. 

This work highlights original interviews with 38 residents of Bangkok’s social housing developments, distilling a new typology of values and attitudes towards neighbourhood greenery. With these insights, our lab advances the global conversation on how nature-based solutions (NbS) can address real urban challenges for low-income communities, and demonstrates the unique capacity for resident-driven greening in dense city environments. 

Key insights from the paper  

• Listening and co-creating: NbS only succeed where community voices shape design, priorities, and ongoing care. 

• Everyday spaces, everyday transformation: Small, shared green interventions, like shaded courtyards and communal gardens, reshape not only the physical landscape but also how people use and value their neighbourhood space. 

• Designing for equity: By centering social housing in urban greening, we ensure that the vital benefits of cooler streets, cleaner air, and enhanced wellbeing reach everyone, not just privileged groups. 

  
  

Fig. 1: Above: main attitudes towards nature and their attributes derived from the interviews, grouped by categories of values (instrumental, relational and intrinsic). Below: behaviours identified in the interviews and their underlying attitudes.

As cities invest in resilient and nature-based solutions, success depends on understanding local contexts and giving marginalized communities a platform. The research confirms that with genuine participation and locally relevant design, even small greening projects can become cherished assets that last. 

Want to know what turns a forgotten courtyard into a blossoming community space? 

Dive into the paper and discover how local voices and practical design create lasting change: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.128973