Data for: Scaling up nature-based solutions for climate-change adaptation: potential and benefits in three European cities

The dataset contains GIS data and JPEG maps of nature-based solution scenarios and related benefits in three case-study cities partners of the H2020 project Naturvation (https://naturvation.eu/): Barcelona (Spain), Malmö (Sweden), and Utrecht (the Netherlands). The data were produced as part of the research described in the article “Scaling up nature-based solutions for climate-change adaptation: potential and benefits in three European cities”, published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127450). The dataset is structured into three main folders, one for each city. Each folder contains six raster maps of land cover under different scenarios, a vector map with the results of the assessment of the selected benefits at the local level, and a sub-folder with the benefit maps printed in JPEG format. The six scenarios include the current condition (Baseline - LC); four scenarios that simulates the full-scale implementation of one specific type of nature-based solutions: installing green roofs (GreenRoofs - GR), de-sealing parking areas (ParkingAreas - PA), enhancing vegetation in urban parks (Parks - PK), and planting street trees (StreetTrees - ST); and a scenario considering the contemporaneous implementation of all four types of nature-based solutions (GreenDream - GD). The simulated full-scale implementation is based on space availability and technical feasibility: other constraints to the implementation of nature-based solutions are not considered. The five benefits assessed include two benefits related to climate change adaptation, i.e. heat mitigation (HM) and runoff reduction (RR), and three co-benefits, namely carbon storage (CS), biodiversity potential (BP), and overall greenness (OG). The vector maps and related JPEG prints show the results of the assessment at the block level. Blocks are based on a modified version of Urban Atlas polygons obtained by removing streets and railroads. Maps have coordinate reference system UTRS89 - LAEA Europe (EPSG:3035) and cover the whole administrative territory of the respective city, excluding the sea. Raster maps are provided in Geotiff format, UInt 16, with a resolution of 1 m. The legend includes eight land cover classes: water (0), trees (1), low vegetation (2), impervious (4), agriculture (5), buildings (10), green roofs (11), vegetation over water (13), permeable parking areas (14). The attribute tables of the vector maps store the value of the selected benefits for each block, together with the links to the original Urban Atlas polygons. Scenarios and benefits are identified by their two-letter codes as reported above. The printed JPEG maps of benefits have a common legend, to allow for comparison between cities.