Nature-based solutions for whom - Europeanization and co-optation of collaborative NBS in authoritarian Belgrade

Abstract This paper explores how Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), introduced through processes of Europeanization, are grounded in, and co-opted by, the post-socialist, neoliberal, and increasingly authoritarian Belgrade. The analysis focuses on the EU-funded CLEVER Cities project, which introduced NBS to Belgrade through the Linear Park, which was later absorbed into Marina Dorćol—a commercial waterfront development by European investors. Despite being celebrated as a best - practice example, the paper indicates that the NBS framework built on participation and socio-ecological benefits is turned into a tool for profit-making and political legitimation by an increasingly authoritarian Serbian regime. Building on document and media analysis, the paper identifies how this local co-optation of NBS is both mediated and reinforced by processes of Europeanization. The findings contribute to the critical debates on NBS by revealing structural limitations rooted not only in the local context but also in the way NBS are created and diffused in Europe. The paper argues for more politically reflexive approaches to NBS that prioritize power redistribution and social justice across diverse urban contexts.