Nature-based solutions in municipal stormwater management in Sweden

This report examines the implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) for municipal stormwater management in Sweden. It finds that while NbS principles are widely embedded in municipal planning, they are rarely called by that specific name. Key barriers to adoption include a lack of standardized cost data—especially for operations and maintenance—and a failure of policy frameworks to fully account for the multiple co-benefits of NbS. The report recommends standardizing cost libraries, clarifying stakeholder responsibilities, and broadening the focus of co-benefits to include heat island reduction and carbon sequestration.

• Cost data for nature-based solutions (NbS) in Sweden is limited and lacks transparency, particularly regarding operations and maintenance (O&M). While implementation costs vary widely based on context—such as whether a solution is part of new construction or an existing environment—detailed O&M resource requirements are rarely documented, which hinders long-term financial planning for municipalities.
• NbS are widely integrated into Swedish municipal stormwater management, although the specific term "nature-based solutions" is rarely used in official documents. Instead, municipalities employ proxy terms such as "open", "local", "sustainable stormwater management solutions/systems", and "multifunctional surfaces".
• Municipal stormwater documents frequently recognize co-benefits such as flood risk control, water quality, biodiversity, aesthetics, and health. However, other critical climate adaptation and environmental benefits—including the urban heat island effect, carbon sequestration, air quality, energy consumption, and noise reduction—are significantly underrepresented.
• The division of responsibilities for stormwater management in Swedish municipalities is complex and often lacks detail. While all surveyed municipalities with stormwater documents acknowledge the need for clear responsibilities, many only provide basic descriptions of internal departments. A few municipalities, including Malmö, Ystad, Västervik, and Landskrona, have implemented more detailed responsibility matrices covering planning, design, construction, and O&M.
• There is strong alignment between NbS and high-level regulatory frameworks, including the EU Green Deal, the EU Taxonomy, and the EU Wastewater Directive, which favors NbS over grey infrastructure. However, these frameworks often fail to fully recognize or quantify the multiple co-benefits of NbS, which limits the ability to build strong business cases for their implementation.

APA

Gunnarsson, M., Barquet, K., & Le Rouzo, A. (2025). Nature-based solutions in municipal stormwater management in Sweden. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/nature-based-solutions-municipal-stormwater-sweden-sei2025-002-corrected.pdf.pdf

Chicago

Gunnarsson, Matilda, Karina Barquet, and Aziliz Le Rouzo. Nature-based solutions in municipal stormwater management in Sweden. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/nature-based-solutions-municipal-stormwater-sweden-sei2025-002-corrected.pdf.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gunnarsson |first1=Matilda |last2=Barquet |first2=Karina |last3=Le Rouzo |first3=Aziliz |title=Nature-based solutions in municipal stormwater management in Sweden |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=January 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/nature-based-solutions-municipal-stormwater-sweden-sei2025-002-corrected.pdf.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gunnarsson2025naturebased, author = {Gunnarsson, Matilda and Barquet, Karina and Le Rouzo, Aziliz}, title = {{Nature-based solutions in municipal stormwater management in Sweden}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/nature-based-solutions-municipal-stormwater-sweden-sei2025-002-corrected.pdf.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }