Nature & the city: Finance/procurement of nature-based solutions for urban climate change adaptation

The Horizon 2020 UNaLab project is contributing to the development of smarter, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable urban communities through the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) co-created with and for local stakeholders and citizens. The establishment of Urban Living Lab (ULL) innovation spaces in front-runner cities Eindhoven, Genova and Tampere supports on-going co-creation, demonstration, experimentation and evaluation of a range of different NBS targeting climate change mitigation and adaptation along with the sustainable management of water resources. The results of the project will be a robust evidence base and go-to-market environment for innovative, replicable, and locally-attuned NBS.

‍The Horizon 2020 GrowGreen project aims to create climate and water resilient, healthy and liveable cities by investing in nature-based solutions (NBS). Making nature part of the urban living environment improves quality of life for all citizens and will help business to prosper. High quality green spaces and waterways provide innovative and inspiring solutions to major urban challenges, such as flooding, heat stress, drought, poor air quality and unemployment and will help biodiversity to flourish.

By embedding NBS in long term city planning, development and management, accessible green and blue spaces are a permanent feature of all urban areas around the world, creating harmony between people, economy and the environment, for the benefit of all.

The Horizon 2020 URBAN GreenUP project intends to develop a methodology for re-naturing cities through NBS. This is directly related to the Public Investment in climate change adaptation technologies that Cities are using as mechanisms to improve living conditions in them.

‍The URBAN Green methodology includes the development of a new concept -RUP (Re-naturing Urban Plan) which wants to make easier the inclusion of the NBS implementation into the urban plans. In this sense, the three Front Runner Cities (Liverpool, Izmir and Valladolid) will deliver specific results related to Public Investment, tendering processes, public-private collaboration and replicability.

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