As cities increasingly turn to nature-based solutions to address key urban socio-ecological challenges, approaches to their governance, planning and implementation are increasingly important for ensuring their effectiveness. Nature-based solutions are multifunctional, and so their planning and implementation are by necessity interdisciplinary. As such, to support urban transitions with nature-based solutions, the role of intermediary actors deserves research attention. Intermediaries play key roles in linking between sectors, across different levels of government and between disciplines and policy domains. We identified three key points for research and planning nature-based solutions through intermediaries as key agents for change: intermediaries are creators of enabling institutional spaces needed for mainstreaming nature-based solutions in cities; intermediaries as actor configurations are dynamic over time and in context, and intermediation has to be understood as a fundamental governance activity in cities that want to scale up their climate adaptation planning with nature-based solutions. Using a case study of the development and initial implementation of the metropolitan urban forest strategy in Melbourne Australia, we analyze the multi-actor landscape that emerged, through the lens of intermediation. We systematically investigated which actors, partnerships and platforms acted as intermediaries in the transformative agenda of the Urban Forest strategy, how these actors interacted over the course of the strategy’s development and how their roles and functions shifted during the early implementation stages of the strategy. We found that an ‘ecology of intermediaries’ adopted a range of roles to support key functions including building collaboration, informing and disseminating policy learning, and strengthening political support. While intermediaries’ roles and functions shifted across the strategy’s development, their contributions were critical in the complex metropolitan governance context. Collaborative planning and governance for nature-based solutions in cities require intermediaries to remain topical, focused and inclusive/open to new ideas and lessons from innovations both emerging and driven.

随着城市越来越多地转向基于自然的解决方案来应对主要的城市社会生态挑战，其治理、规划和实施方法对于确保其有效性变得越来越重要。基于自然的解决方案是多功能的，因此它们的规划和实施必然是跨学科的。因此，为了通过基于自然的解决方案支持城市转型，中介参与者的作用值得研究关注。中介机构在部门之间、不同级别的政府之间以及学科和政策领域之间的联系方面发挥着关键作用。我们确定了通过中介作为变革的关键推动者研究和规划基于自然的解决方案的三个关键点：中介机构是将基于自然的解决方案纳入城市主流所需的有利机构空间的创造者；作为参与者配置的中介随着时间和背景的变化是动态的，在希望通过基于自然的解决方案扩大气候适应规划的城市中，中介必须被理解为一项基本的治理活动。使用澳大利亚墨尔本大都市森林战略的发展和初步实施案例研究，我们通过中介的视角分析了出现的多参与者景观。我们系统地调查了哪些参与者、伙伴关系和平台在城市森林战略的转型议程中充当了中介，这些参与者在战略制定过程中如何互动，以及他们的角色和职能在战略的早期实施阶段如何转变。我们发现“中介生态”扮演了一系列角色来支持关键职能，包括建立合作、告知和传播政策学习以及加强政治支持。虽然中介机构的角色和职能在战略发展过程中发生了变化，但他们的贡献在复杂的大都市治理环境中至关重要。城市中基于自然的解决方案的协作规划和治理要求中介机构保持话题性、重点和包容性/对来自新兴和驱动的创新的新想法和经验持开放态度。我们发现“中介生态”扮演了一系列角色来支持关键职能，包括建立合作、告知和传播政策学习以及加强政治支持。虽然中介机构的角色和职能在战略发展过程中发生了变化，但他们的贡献在复杂的大都市治理环境中至关重要。城市中基于自然的解决方案的协作规划和治理要求中介机构保持话题性、重点和包容性/对来自新兴和驱动的创新的新想法和经验持开放态度。我们发现“中介生态”扮演了一系列角色来支持关键职能，包括建立合作、告知和传播政策学习以及加强政治支持。虽然中介机构的角色和职能在战略发展过程中发生了变化，但他们的贡献在复杂的大都市治理环境中至关重要。城市中基于自然的解决方案的协作规划和治理要求中介机构保持话题性、重点和包容性/对来自新兴和驱动的创新的新想法和经验持开放态度。在复杂的大都市治理背景下，他们的贡献至关重要。城市中基于自然的解决方案的协作规划和治理要求中介机构保持话题性、重点和包容性/对来自新兴和驱动的创新的新想法和经验持开放态度。在复杂的大都市治理背景下，他们的贡献至关重要。城市中基于自然的解决方案的协作规划和治理要求中介机构保持话题性、重点和包容性/对来自新兴和驱动的创新的新想法和经验持开放态度。