Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a powerful opportunity to transform how cities and businesses respond to climate change and biodiversity loss. Increasingly recognized by governments, private sector, and professionals, NbS are being integrated into projects that deliver both ecological and social value.

This workshop will explore the multifaceted role of NbS — not only as an environmental strategy, but as a driver of innovation, resilience, and value creation to address societal challenges. Through interactive discussions, participants will discover practical approaches to embedding NbS in design and planning, uncover its potential to strengthen ESG performance and green finance, and mainstreaming NbS across disciplines and engaging the public. By positioning NbS as a catalyst for biodiversity and human well-being in cities, this workshop empowers participants to champion nature-driven approaches that accelerate Hong Kong’s sustainable development and inspire broader community participation.

Session Learnings:

• Understand key concepts, definitions and standards of NbS.
• Explore practical approaches and case studies to integrating NbS into design and planning to enhance biodiversity and improve human well-being in development projects.
• Discover the benefits of NbS in advancing ESG goals and green finance, highlighting its role in Sustainable Development Goals.
• Explore strategies and actionable pathways for mainstreaming NbS across interdisciplinary professions and engaging the wider public.

Post-Event Actions:

•  Conduct self-assessment to evaluate whether projects or investments meet the criteria of NbS standards.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration with landscape architects and partnering organizations to strengthen NbS for diverse industries and sectors.
• Promote awareness and mainstream NbS through policy development, practical implementation, and education initiatives.

Hong Kong faces an urgent mandate: 189,000 public housing units delivered over five years, while meeting rising sustainability requirements including BEAM Plus certification and low-carbon construction standards. The ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index 2026 benchmarks Hong Kong’s housing challenge against 40+ cities across the region, surfacing both the scale of the gap and what peer markets are doing differently.
This workshop opens with two short presentations — one presenting APAC-wide HAI data and regional comparisons, the second showcasing a Hong Kong case study in affordable and sustainable housing delivery — before participants break into small, role-specific table discussions. Each group works on one question: given what you now know and what you control, what will you commit to doing in the next 12 months?

Session Learnings:

• How Hong Kong’s housing affordability compares to 41 cities across Asia Pacific, based on the ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index 2026, and which regional delivery models are producing results
• How Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) can reduce build time by 30–50% and costs by 20–30%, with direct co-benefits for carbon emissions — drawing on evidence from Singapore, Japan, and Australia
• What specific regulatory, procurement, and financing barriers are slowing affordable and sustainable housing delivery in Hong Kong, and how they compare to challenges in peer markets
• How green finance instruments can be structured to support affordable and sustainable housing simultaneously, and what conditions need to be in place for them to work at scale in Hong Kong

Post-Event Actions:

• identify and commit to one specific action — in design, procurement, construction methods, or financing — that your organisation can take to support faster delivery of affordable and sustainable housing in Hong Kong in the next 12 months
• Explore adoption of MiC, DfMA, or low-carbon construction methods in an upcoming project or procurement process
• Assess the applicability of green finance instruments — green bonds, sustainability-linked loans — to a real housing project or investment decision within your organisation
• Share HAI 2026 data and regional benchmarks internally to build awareness of Hong Kong’s housing challenge and the cross-sector response it requires