With the aim of being a part of global change and providing an example to other researchers throughout the world, this paper details how breeding goals of horticultural plants and their application have shifted in Novi Sad (Serbia) in the last 10–15 years. Contemporary cities/citizens strive to incorporate nature into all of their important life segments and activities, thus requiring an interdisciplinary approach to solving challenges that the 21st century brings. Early research in Novi Sad (Serbia) was focused on the basic genetic, physiological, biochemical and botanical aspects of plant functioning and development in a challenging and changing urban environment abundant in abiotic stressors, as well as biotic and abiotic stressors, that affect the production of horticultural plant in this field. Recently, research interest has shifted towards the sustainable usage of plant genetic resources (roses, autochthonous terrestrial orchids, sweet and sour cherry eco-types, and allochthonous oil-rich species), as well as sustainable practices and nature-based solutions (urban-derived biodiesel, rain gardens, green roofs, green walls, constructed wetlands, water ponds, bioswales and permeable surfaces on a different scale of urban planning). This case study aimed to illustrate how plant selection and breeding strategies can satisfy urban growth demands, whereas urban planning must include sustainable genetic resources suitable for urban ecosystems. Available ornamental plant genetic resources (with pronounced tolerance/resistance to abiotic and/or biotic stressors) associated with the novel approach of their application in green city infrastructure provide the opportunity to implement multiple nature-based solutions leading to numerous ecosystem services. Combined, these contribute to the globally defined goals for sustainable development.

To address the challenges of the twenty-first century, particularly the negative effects of climate change, mitigation measures such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are being employed. Vegetation, being a part of various NbS interventions, provides different ecosystem services that help combat current climate-related vulnerabilities. This research aims to illustrate the connection between plants’ contribution to adapting to climate change and the creation of more sustainable spaces, focusing on the usage of bioretention systems (BRs) as an example of NbS. Some of the main aspects of how vegetation is selected for BRs according to qualities that may contribute to developing sustainable landscapes, along with providing key features of plants’ adaptation, different taxonomic data, and specific plant species that have been demonstrated to be good candidates for planting in BRs, are also discussed. Therefore, the importance of this paper is in providing a comprehensive systematization of vegetation with insightful suggestions on plant species for future BR implementation.

Extreme precipitation events, which are common natural hazards, are expected to increase in frequency due to global warming, leading to various types of floods, including pluvial floods. In this study, we investigated the probabilities of maximum 3-day precipitation amount (Rx3day) occurrences during spring in the Vojvodina region, covering both past (1971–2019) and future (2020–2100) periods. We utilized an ensemble of eight downscaled, bias-corrected regional climate models from the EURO-CORDEX project database, selecting the RCP8.5 scenario to examine future Rx3day amounts. The probabilities of occurrences of Rx3day were modeled using the GEV distribution, while the number of events where Rx3day in spring exceeds specific thresholds was modeled using the Poisson distribution. The results indicate that Rx3day with a ten-year return period during the spring months is expected to increase by 19% to 33%. Additionally, the probabilities of having more than one event where Rx3day exceeds thresholds are projected to rise by 105.6% to 200.0% in the future compared to the historical period. The analysis comparing the design values of Rx3day with future projections for the period 2020–2100 revealed that 51 drainage systems are likely to function without difficulties under future climate conditions. However, for the remaining 235 drainage systems, an increased risk of pluvial flooding was identified, as their design precipitation amounts are lower than the future projections. This study reveals that analyzing extreme rainfall events in the context of climate change yields crucial information that facilitates effective planning and policy making in water management, particularly flood protection.

Bioretention systems are globally the most accepted Low Impact Development (LID) practices. In this study, we simulated bioretention performances for four locations in the city of Novi Sad, with RECARGA modelling software. The primary objective of the research was to evaluate potential of bioretention systems for runoff reduction. The second research objective was to suggest RECARGA model as a support for future decision-making processes. Analysis of the sensitivity of bioretention design parameters on bioretention performances, involved variations related to different sizes of bioretention systems, application of an underdrain, the difference in soil texture and changes in the depth of each individual bioretention layer. The total average volume of retained runoff by bioretention systems ranged from 43.33 to 93.84%, while some single simulation results were 100%. Among all tested design parameters, bioretention size and the native soil hydraulic conductivity have shown the greatest influence on the runoff reduction rate. This study provides information about the developing a site-specific bioretention solutions needed to prevent urban flooding in the area of research where this systems are still not sufficiently applied in practice. The obtained methodology can be applied for other locations and also it can be extended to other cities with similar urban flooding problems.

The benefits of nature-based solutions to address the climate and biodiversity challenges have become widely acknowledged. In numerous ways, nature-based solutions align with the Sustainable Development Goals. Serbia, like many other countries, faces many negative impacts of climate change crises. In order to meet sustainable development goals linked to water pollution and biodiversity, we investigated the potential of two plants, namely, Iris pseudocorus L. and Juncus effusus L., and tested for zinc reduction, previously found as an emerging contaminant of urban waters in Serbia. We focused on the investigation of native Serbian plants, that are reported as highly valuable and endangered. Results confirmed that both plant species have high accumulation capacity for Zn uptake, whereas growth and resistance were higher for Juncus effusus L. plants. While the concentration of zinc in Iris plants ranged from 45.85 mg/L to 193.05 mg/L, the concentration found in Juncus plants ranged from 36.2 mg/L to 264.59 mg/L for leaves and 53.20 mg/L for roots. This study contributes to the support for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Serbia within biodiversity conservation and sustainable water management, by providing information of plant species that can be included in future sustainable nature-based solutions projects, like bioretention systems and constructed wetlands.