National governments, cities, European institutions and other stakeholders are preparing to work together for a sustainable, innovative and economically powerful Europe that offers a high quality of life in cities, encapsulated in the upcoming EU Urban Agenda. One promising development is the growing importance of nature-based solutions, which are cost-effective solutions to urban problems inspired or supported by nature, and which produce environmental, social and economic benefits in cities.

Urban green infrastructure is one of the main applications of nature-based solutions. Many European cities are developing comprehensive green infrastructure plans, such as Greater Manchester (United Kingdom). Their plan sets a framework for new developments and outlines clear actions to connect urban green spaces and make them accessible to all residents. In the Dutch city of Utrecht, residents in ten districts are invited to propose green infrastructure projects to improve urban quality of life. Creating more attractive neighbourhoods is also an ambition of Trento (Italy), which is using green infrastructure "“ and nature-based solutions more generally - in the redevelopment of a brownfield site which was the former location of a major tire company.

To increase awareness of such solutions it is essential to gather and understand evidence of their impact. An urban policy workshop will take place on 31 May in Utrecht to discuss the potential of using spatial data in local policy making on nature-based solutions, and present the results of a pilot study on Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem and their Services in European cities (MAES). The aim of the workshop is to prepare the ground for a partnership on urban green infrastructure, bringing cities into direct contact with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. This will help to reduce financial, governmental and regulatory barriers, and generate further discussion of bringing nature-based solutions and urban green infrastructure into the mainstream.

For more information about the event, click here.Image copyright: green green grass (Flickr) by "zoetnet", licensed under CC BY 2.0 more   19 May 2016 20th B@S to look at the impact on cities of the Sustainable Development GoalsThe 20th edition of the Breakfast at Sustainability's (B@S) series will take place on 2 June 2016 in Brussels (Belgium), focusing on what the universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mean for European cities and how can citizens and grassroots initiatives can help to implement them. The session, titled "European Cities and Citizens delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals" will be held in the broader framework of the European Sustainable Development Week.

Despite the stand-alone goal on sustainable cities within the SDGs, urban experts agree that all 17 SDGs are relevant for cities. Initiatives like the recently adopted Basque Declaration suggest cities and citizens have to engage on the ground if the future is to be sustainable.

Following an EU policy overview, discussions will focus on examples of transformative and replicable actions coming from sub-national governments and civil society organisations. The meeting is organised by ICLEI in association with the EESC's Sustainable Development Observatory and the Heinrich Bà¶ll Foundation. Registration is open until 30 May.

To register, click here.Image copyright: Image (Flickr) by "la-citta-vita", licensed under CC BY 2.0 more

» Publication Date: 20/05/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

« Go to Technological Watch