In partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), PHYSI expanded the Urban Nature Atlas (UNA) to include a comprehensive Asian component. From December 2022 to June 2023, this project bridged continental gaps by documenting 100 impactful local NbS in 13 asian countries and establishing the UNA as a global resource.
Project Objectives
The mission was to accelerate the adoption of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) across the ASEAN region—an intergovernmental organization of ten Southeast Asian states—to drive CO2 reduction and climate adaptation. By documenting proven practices and creating a publicly available knowledge base, the project aimed to boost the capacity of member states to implement sustainable urban interventions that improve urban resilience and public health.
Our Impact
PHYSI managed the coordination, data collection, and quality assurance chain for the research. Key achievements included:
- Case Study Documentation: Identified and analyzed 100 NBS cases across 13 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Standardized Methodology: Provided online training and expert selection of researchers to ensure consistent, high-quality data across all 100 studies.
- Quality Control: Oversaw the entire data entry process, conducting multi-stage reviews to ensure all findings were coherent and aligned with global UNA standards before publication.
- Public Dissemination: Developed the final project report and publication text, making these critical Asian climate insights accessible to the public.
The 100 ASEF cases are all accessible by selecting that filter in the UNA, direct link: https://una.city/front-
ASEAN: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional bloc that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation. For this project, the “ASEAN plus” target group expanded the research scope to include neighboring Asian partners like India and Kazakhstan to maximize the regional impact of NBS.