Abstract: Cities face an increasing range of compound climate risks, including more frequent heat waves, flash flooding, biodiversity collapse and declining environmental quality. Green infrastructure (GI) the planned networks of natural and semi-natural features embedded in urban fabrics, has emerged as a central paradigm for addressing these challenges while delivering multiple co-benefits. This literature review synthesises empirical and conceptual scholarship primarily published between 2015 and 2024 to evaluate the evidence base for GI as a climate resilience strategy in three key areas of urban climate resilience: urban heat island (UHI) mitigation, stormwater and flood management, and urban biodiversity and ecosystem services. Using studies from cities across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and the Global South, the review finds strong evidence that well-designed GI interventions can reduce urban air temperatures by 0.3-3 °C, attenuate stormwater runoff by 40-85% and substantially increase urban biodiversity and human well-being. However, the review also highlights persistent gaps in the literature such as geographical bias toward the Global North, limited long-term monitoring data, limited attention to the dimensions of equity and under-representation of integrated GI network assessments. The paper concludes with a research agenda for the future which stresses the necessity for the integration of GI into more comprehensive, governance-led urban climate adaptation frameworks.

Keywords: Green infrastructure, urban climate resilience, urban heat island, stormwater management, urban biodiversity, nature-based solutions, ecosystem services.