JUSTGREEN Project Kicks Off!

The EU Interreg project JUSTGREEN took its first steps towards improving urban greening policies during its launch in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on April 11th and 12th, 2024. Over the course of two days, Rotterdam, Burgas, Ghent, Katowice, Murcia, Tallinn and Regional Development Fund of Attica came together for the start of the Interreg collaboration, setting the stage for promoting environmental resilience and green initiatives across European cities.

The partners discussed policy instruments and strategies for improving greening policies. Through the fun "high five and low five" exercise, participants identified strengths and weaknesses within existing policies, fostering open-hearted dialogue and paving the way for improvement. The "high five and low five" exercise was an accessible and effective way to identify successes and challenges and help partners to both inspire and learn from each other.

The Erasmus University of Rotterdam helped the partners getting familiar with methodology creating a shared understanding of the methodologies used for the learning experience. In the upcoming period this will help us in transferring knowledge and experiences between partners.

A highlight of the event was a visit to Rotterdam's sustainable neighbourhood initiatives on the second day. The City of Rotterdam team showed the partners some of Rotterdam’s successful green interventions with citizens in the lead. Visiting these initiatives were very important for getting to know more about the Rotterdam context.

The JUSTGREEN project is just starting, but it's a big step towards making our cities better for everyone. By working together and sharing ideas, we hope to make cities greener and more resilient for the future.