In the Northeast US, I see two schemes where natural ventilation would play some role:
1. Seasonal switchover. This is basically what many people do at home. During the winter they use their boiler, or furnace. Come June 15, they take the AC unit out of the Garage and stick it in the window. Spring and Fall, they rely on natural ventilation for cooling. There is absolutely no reason why this shouldn't work in a bigger building, provide we make accommodations to allow this to happen. (I guess part of the key to this is that building residents have to be willing to accept variations in temperature. They would be more willing to do this if they have some control over what is happening.)
2. Night Time Cooling, with Thermal Storage in the Building Mass. This would be more difficult to control, and would only work in a building with a conventional schedule. Basically one would subcool the building at night using the outdoor air. The thermal mass of the building can absorb heat generated in the space during the day, reducing the peak load. There is some potential for condensation and moisture control problems with this scheme.
I also see a real potential for systems that use outdoor air for cooling, but use some fans, making them strictly speaking, not natural ventilation. Maybe we should avoid the term "natural" and think of "low-energy" instead.
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