Three runner cities - of Valladolid (Spain), Liverpool (UK) and Izmir (Turkey) – will validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the URBAN GreenUP methodology. Based on their experience, five follower cities, Mantova (Italy), Ludwigsburg (Germany) Medellin (Colombia), Chengdu (China) and Binh Dinh-Quy Nhon (Vietnam), will set up their own Renaturing Urban Plans to replicate the URBAN GreenUP strategy and its green economy approach.
The nature-based solutions that will be implemented during the project cover a variety of complementary yet interconnected aspects of urban life and infrastructures. They are grouped into four main categories: re-naturing urbanization, water interventions, singular green infrastructures and non-technical interventions. Examples of the planned initiatives are the deployment of green bike and pedestrian routes, the installation of parks and urban farming facilities, the usage of smart soils and bio pollutant filters, as well as the implementation of sustainable drainage systems, which reduce the impact of floods and for irrigation purposes.
Through the implementation of very technical nature-based solutions in large-scale districts, URBAN GreenUP aims at achieving a variety of impacts related with both environmental and socio-economic aspects. For example, the new cycle lane and the parking green pavements that are to be installed in Valladolid will prevent the emission of almost 200 tons CO₂ equivalent and reduce temperatures by 5oC during summer time, respectively. Liverpool’s sustainable drainage system, on the other hand, will be able to store 1500 m3 of rain water during storms, whereas the smart soils used in Izmir will be capable of sequestrating carbon from the atmosphere and use them for self-fertilization. These are just a few of the impacts expected through the implementations of nature-based solutions in the three cities.
Apart from urban green transformation, the project is expected to achieve important results in other fields too. URBAN GreenUP will improve life quality in urban areas, raise awareness on the importance of environment preservation among citizens, generate new market opportunities for European companies at international level , foster the creation of transnational networks and synergies. Last but not the least, it will highlight the importance of the local communities’ active participation when addressing climate problems through co-creation activities also directly involving the citizens, who are at the core of their cities’ green regeneration.
Source: URBAN GreenUP - About