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Read moreSustainability institutions routinely separate land, water, infrastructure, livelihoods and ecological processes despite their operation as a coupled system. This study develops the Blue-Green Continuum as an integrated governance architecture and tests its internal coherence through a structured conceptual synthesis of social-ecological systems, nexus governance, natural capital, nature-based solutions, collaborative governance and environmental-justice scholarship. The synthesis identifies five functions required for operational integration: ecological integration, economic synchronization, governance coordination, technological intelligence, and community and social inclusion. It further derives a territorial implementation cycle, a shared outcome scorecard and five propositions for comparative evaluation. The framework shifts integration from inter-agency consultation to common spatial units, jointly defined outcomes, aligned finance, shared data and accountable decision rights. It is designed for deltas, river basins, coastal regions and flood-prone cities where fragmented authority converts ecological interdependence into cumulative risk. The study offers a testable governance model without claiming new empirical effects.
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Blue-Green Continuum; integrated governance; social-ecological systems; territorial planning; natural capital; climate resilience; sustainability transitions.
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