References

Original Reference: Aspinall, P. et al. (2015). The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49: 272-276

Brief Summary: Highlights the importance of sports in promoting social cohesion and well-being in both urban and rural settings. Recommends PoliRuralPlus pilots incorporate physical activity initiatives to strengthen community ties across regions.

URL: DOI

Original Reference: Bulkeley, H. (2020a). Nature-based Solutions for climate mitigation: analysis of EU-funded projects. EU Publications Office, Luxembourg

Brief Summary: This document evaluates the success of rural development policies in promoting sustainable growth in rural regions, with a particular focus on rural-urban linkages. Recommendations for PoliRuralPlus include enhancing monitoring and evaluation frameworks within regional action plans to ensure that rural policies effectively contribute to broader urban-rural development objectives. By adopting these evaluative measures, PoliRuralPlus can better track progress and ensure that regional action plans are aligned with EU-wide sustainability and development goals.

URL: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9afec646-cbc7-11ea-adf7-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Original Reference: EEA (2019). Exceedance of air quality standards in urban areas

Brief Summary: This EEA report discusses the exceedance of air quality limits across Europe, with a focus on urban areas. RAPs should integrate air quality improvement measures into both rural and urban planning to reduce pollution. PoliRuralPlus pilots can use these insights to promote healthier, cleaner environments across regional action plans.

URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/exceedance-of-air-quality-limit-3/assessment-5

Original Reference: May, L. & Spears, B.M. (2012). Loch Leven: 40 years of scientific research. Understanding the links between land and water. International Water Management Institute / Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), Rome.

Brief Summary: Reviews how family farming can promote sustainable rural development. PoliRuralPlus can support family farming in its RAPs to strengthen local economies and social cohesion.

URL: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3959e.pdf

Original Reference: Nagabhatla, N., Springgay, E. & Dudley, N. (2018). Forests as nature-based solutions for ensuring urban water security. Unasylva, 69(250): 43-52.

Brief Summary: Provides guidelines for building sustainable food systems, especially in rural areas. PoliRuralPlus can integrate these FAO recommendations to promote food security and economic resilience in rural-urban regions​(

URL: http://www.fao.org/3/i8414en/I8414EN.pdf

Original Reference: Salbitano, F. et al. (2016). FAO Guidelines on urban and peri-urban forestry. Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN, Rome.

Brief Summary: FAO report on the impact of urbanization on rural areas globally. Implications: RAPs should address agricultural transformations due to urban expansion. Recommendations include sustainable agricultural practices and policies that promote balanced rural-urban development​​.

URL: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6210e.pdf

Original Reference: Connecting Nature (2020). Financing and Business Models

Brief Summary: This resource explores financial strategies and business models for implementing NBS in cities, with implications for rural-urban collaboration. Implications: Financing is a key challenge in scaling NBS projects that benefit rural and urban areas. Recommendations: Develop innovative financing mechanisms in regional action plans to support nature-based solutions. Explore public-private partnerships, green bonds, and crowdfunding to fund sustainable projects that foster rural-urban resilience and collaboration on environmental challenges.

URL: Financing and Business Models for NBS

Original Reference: Baroni, L., Nicholls, G. & Whiteoak, K. (2019) Approaches to financing nature-based solutions in cities. GrowGreen Project working document

Brief Summary: Provides an overview of financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions in urban areas. Recommendation: Explore financing models for integrating NBS into rural-urban linkages, especially focusing on improving resilience to climate change in rural areas through collaboration with urban centers.

URL: GrowGreen Project

Original Reference: Wild, T.C. & Henneberry, J.M. (2020). Nature-based solutions and water challenges: financing an accelerated transition to more sustainable cities using NBS. In C. Herzog et al. (Eds.). EU-Brazil Sector Dialogue on Nature-Based Solutions. EC, Brussels. ISBN: 978-92-76-18445-4; doi:10.2777/95912.

Brief Summary: Discusses financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions (NBS) to address water challenges. Recommendations: RAPs should seek EU funding and support for implementing NBS, which can provide sustainable solutions for water management and foster rural-urban collaboration.

URL: https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/nature-based-solutions-and-water-challenges-financing-accelerated-transition-more-sustainable-cities-using-nature-based-solutions_nl

Original Reference: EC (2019b). Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive, Groundwater Directive, Environmental Quality Standards Directive and Floods Directive. SWD(2019)439 final

Brief Summary: This report evaluates the effectiveness of EU water legislation. RAPs should align their water management practices with EU directives, ensuring sustainable water use and protection. PoliRuralPlus pilots can use this evaluation to improve water governance frameworks and promote long-term water sustainability across rural-urban regions.

URL: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/fitness_check_of_the_eu_water_legislation/pdf/fitness_check_eu_water_legislation_report.pdf

Original Reference: Gellinck, L. (2013). VALUE: Valuing Attractive Landscapes in Urban Economy (project summary). In: 2013: een Plattelandsodyssee – 25 jaar VLM.

Brief Summary: This website tracks rural development policies in Belgium. Recommendations for PoliRuralPlus include examining best practices from Belgium's rural initiatives to enhance the PoliRuralPlus pilot strategies.

URL: https://www.vlm.be/nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Original Reference: Gascon, M. et al. (2017). Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: A systematic review of quantitative studies. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 4: 1207-1221.

Brief Summary: Discusses health risks associated with rural-urban transitions. PoliRuralPlus RAPs should include health management strategies to protect rural areas from urban-originating health risks.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.08.004

Original Reference: Gusmaroli, G. et al. (2008). Contrat de Riviere as participative decision making tool to implement River Restoration. State of art in Italy and Agogna stream case study. In 4th ECRR International Conference on River Restoration, Venice, Italy.

Brief Summary: Offers a framework for river restoration and management in rural-urban regions. PoliRuralPlus should apply this framework in RAPs to restore and manage rural river ecosystems and improve their contribution to urban water needs.

URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-multi-scale-hierarchical-framework-for-developing-Gurnell-Rinaldi/f02b0e05fe3622f03864d529437d3f6e4e5efbdd

Original Reference: Palmer, M.A., Menninger, H.L. & Bernhardt, E. (2010). River restoration, habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity: A failure of theory or practice? Freshwater Biology, 55(1): 205-222.

Brief Summary: Explores the relationship between freshwater ecosystems and rural development. Implications: Healthy ecosystems are vital for sustainable rural development. Recommendations: RAPs should include strategies for preserving and restoring freshwater ecosystems to support agriculture and rural livelihoods.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02372.x

Original Reference: Lugato, E. et al. (2016). Quantifying the erosion effect on current carbon budget of European agricultural soils at high spatial resolution. Global Change Biology, 22(5), 1976–1984.

Brief Summary: Focuses on the biological impacts of global change. RAPs should incorporate climate adaptation and biodiversity strategies to mitigate these impacts in rural-urban contexts.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13198

Original Reference: Bastin, J.F. et al. (2019). The global tree restoration potential. Science; 365 (6448): 76-79

Brief Summary: Explores dependencies in food systems between rural and urban regions. Recommendation: PoliRuralPlus should integrate food systems planning in its pilots, ensuring that both urban and rural regions benefit from sustainable, resilient food production and distribution systems.

URL: Science Article

Original Reference: Dadvand, P. et al. (2019). Green spaces and child health and development. In: M.R. Marselle et al. (Eds.) Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change, pp. 121-132. Springer

Brief Summary: This book chapter examines the role of food systems in rural-urban linkages, advocating for policies that promote sustainable agricultural practices and local food production. RAPs can enhance rural economies by supporting local food supply chains and improving rural-urban market integration.

URL: Food Systems Framework

Original Reference: Economy. WEF, Geneva

Brief Summary: The Global Risks Report outlines key risks to global development, including climate change and socioeconomic inequality. RAPs should integrate risk management strategies into regional planning, addressing rural-urban vulnerabilities. PoliRuralPlus pilots can incorporate these global risk perspectives to ensure resilient and sustainable growth.

URL: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-risks-report-2020

Original Reference: Keeler, B.L. et al. (2019). Social-ecological and technological factors moderate the value of urban nature. Nature Sustainability, 2(1), 29–38.

Brief Summary: The paper outlines the need for global sustainability in managing natural resources. Recommendations for PoliRuralPlus include adopting resource-efficient, climate-resilient strategies across rural-urban action plans.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0202-1

Original Reference: Sekulova, F. & Anguelovski, I. (2017). The Governance and Politics of Nature-Based Solutions, NATURVATION Project Deliverable 1.3 Part VII.

Brief Summary: Discusses the governance of nature-based solutions (NBS). Implications: NBS can bridge rural-urban ecological gaps. Recommendations: Use NBS in RAPs to promote sustainable development and improve urban-rural ecological connectivity 【35†source】.

URL: https://naturvation.eu/sites/default/files/news/files/naturvation_the_governance_and_politics_of_nature-based_solutions.pdf