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Blue-green infrastructure for resilient cities II: Greening the urban landscape: key learnings

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city view with buildings covered with grass

On 24 October 2024, the Policy Learning Platform hosted the second episode of the webinar series 'Blue-green infrastructure for resilient cities'. This session focused on green infrastructures. 

This second episode dived into inspiring solutions, good practices, guidance and recommendations backed by real-life examples from European cities and regions from many Interreg Europe projects. 

Watch the recording, download the presentations and dive into the key learnings below. 

Webinar recording

Webinar agenda

The webinar has been designed and moderated by Magda Michaliková and Astrid Severin , Thematic Experts for a Greener Europe. 

00:00:58 Introduction by Astrid Severin and Magda Michaliková

00:11:40 Keynote speech by Ine Vandecasteele, European Environment Agency, on Nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches in an urban context. 

00:30:30 Q&A: Where (or how) municipalities can find support for technical capacity building? (Question related to showed challenges)

00:32:21 Q&A: Which EU funding opportunities/programs are there now for NBS? 1st: for new investments/infrastructure projects for boosting greening projects and 2nd: for sharing/develop professional educational programs on NBS? for example EU masterclasses

00:33:17 Q&A: How can we raise awareness and effectively engage residents in areas with historically low levels of public participation, particularly those who may be reluctant or disinterested in becoming involved in community processes?

00:35:13  Q&A : Should every city start with a clear target? 

00:42:50  Presentation by Enrico Anghileri, Comune di Montecopiolo, Italy, on Revalorisation of local public green infrastructure to enhance bee population and biodiversity (GIFT) 

00:55:46 Q&A: Have you been setting yourself a target? What is the role of the municipality? 

00:58:17 Q&A: Is this replicable in other régions, and what your plans for the future? 

01:01:03 Presentation by Miranda Nauta, City of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Rotterdam Goes Green Programme (JUSTGREEN) 

01:11:38  Q&A: Could you please give us more details on the subsidy for nature-based schoolyards you mentioned? (how does it work? Which are the requirements?)

01:15:28 Presentation by Flóra Szkordilisz, Ministry of Public Administration and Spatial Development, Hungary, on Green Infrastructure Guidance for municipalities (NBS4LOCAL) 

01:27:22 Panel discussion 

Key learnings 

  • In a business-as-usual scenario, it will be 7°C warmer in Europe by 2100 and 10-15°C in denser urban environments
  • Urgent action is needed but cities and local authorities are not yet prepared for these rising temperatures
  • Main green infrastructure measures for cities are afforestation, revegetation, green roofs and facades, urban farming but also avoidance of soil sealing and soil remediation
  • Urban greens are transformative, ‘no regret’, ‘no harm’ solutions and often more efficient and cheaper than technological solutions
  • Public authorities are in the driving seat to support the transformation by adding green at all scales through defining priority areas, target setting, awareness raising, education, providing guidance and financial support
  • The Number 1 supporting factor for the successful implementation (and maintenance) of green infrastructures is citizen engagement 
  • The renewal of public spaces and infrastructure e.g. sewage systems provides opportunities for implementing new urban greens
  • Various funding opportunities exist at European, regional and local level as well as many low cost and no-cost solutions
  • Long-term political and financial support is needed to implement wider scale nature-based solutions as well as technical capacity 

Presentations

Download the presentations below.

Introduction presentation by Magda Michaliková and Astrid Severin , Thematic Experts for a Greener Europe..pdf
Download (1.29 MB)
Keynote speech by Ine Vandecasteele, European Environment Agency, on Nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches in an urban context. .pdf
Download (5.03 MB)
Presentation by Enrico Anghileri, Comune di Montecopiolo, Italy, on Revalorisation of local public green infrastructure to enhance bee population and biodiversity (GIFT) .pdf
Download (430.45 KB)
Presentation by Miranda Nauta, City of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Rotterdam Goes Green Program.pdf
Download (6.16 MB)

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