Our latest proposal for the Horizon 2020 Programme has been approved, and is currently in the Grant Preparation stage!
Alongside 34 other partners, among which four front-runner cities (Dortmund (DE); Turin (IT); Zagreb (HR); Ningbo (CN)), we will work for the next five years establishing Living Labs in urban areas which face the challenge of post-industrial regeneration.
The proGIreg Living Labs will develop NBS (nature-based solutions), which are citizen-owned and co-developed by state, market and civil society stakeholders. Five follower cities in Eastern and Southern Europe (Cascais PT, Cluj-Napoca RO, Piraeus GR, Sofia BG, Zenica BA) will be co-steering the research process to assure replicability and adaptability to their local context resulting in urban plans for NBS deployment. The NBS to be tested i.a. include: regenerating industrial soils biotic compounds, creating community-based urban agriculture and aquaponics and making renatured river corridors accessible for local residents.
URBASOFIA will be leading the Spatial Analysis in front-runner and follower cities, guiding them in transposing socio-cultural inclusiveness, human health and well-being, ecological and environmental restoration and economic and labour market assessment domains at spatial-urban level. We will also assist Follower Cities in creating locally adapted urban plans for the implementation of innovative NBS.
The EU Research and Innovation policy agenda on Nature-Based Solutions and Re-Naturing Cities aims to position the EU as leader in ‘Innovating with nature’ for more sustainable and resilient societies – and proGIreg is leading this ambition, as one of the first Innovation Actions implementing the EU R&I agenda on NBS.
URBASOFIA is consequently very happy to take part in this initiative and to contribute its European knowledge on Urban and Regional planning towards implementing Living Labs in the EU’s most innovative cities!
Source: EC. EUROPA.EU