Cities of Nature

Urban heat islands, flash flooding and loss of biodiversity are among the effects through which climate change is increasingly affecting cities, with consequences for quality of life, health and the management of public spaces. Among the most effective responses are Nature-Based Solutions, such as urban trees, green roofs and facades, permeable surfaces and systems for stormwater management.

However, the challenge does not concern only technical aspects, but also decision-making processes: where to intervene, how to finance maintenance and how to involve citizens and communities in choices concerning the local area.

These issues are the focus of CONE, a project co-funded by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme and coordinated by Unismart. Over three years, it involved five cities in Central Europe, including Padua, through urban living labs, spaces in which administrations, businesses, researchers, and citizens co-designed interventions in real pilot areas, testing participatory processes and digital tools.

On 22 October in Padua, the closing event Cities of Nature presents the project results through two round tables. The first is dedicated to the solutions tested and their transferability to other contexts; the second broadens the discussion to Italian experiences of innovation and urban regeneration, within the framework of the Nature Restoration Regulation of the European Union.

In the afternoon, the meeting concludes with a participatory workshop, during which participants work on a concrete urban scenario to develop shared proposals.