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Publication

Resilient European Cities: Nature-based Solutions for Clean Water

This report examines how European cities can turn to nature-based solutions (NbS) to protect the water resources on which they depend, contributing to improving environmental quality in upstream watersheds. Ecologic Institute supported the preparation of this report, in particular by identifying European cities relevant for analysis and supporting the development of the methodology to assess the effectiveness and costs of NbS-WS implementation. The report is available for download.Read more

Presentation

Policy Instruments to Promote Urban Nature-based Solutions in Europe

TimeLoc

18 December 2020

online

McKenna Davis

Invited by the Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), McKenna Davis (Ecologic Institute) joined the "International Knowledge Conclave on Green Infrastructure" and presented on 'Policy instruments to promote urban nature-based solutions in Europe'. She focused on the range of policy, planning and financial instruments relevant for nature-based solution design, implementation and maintenance within a European context. Her presentation slides and a guidance document she co-authored are available for download.Read more

News

Cities

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

New Research Network Launched: Berlin on the way to becoming a social and ecological city

With a new research network, the city of Berlin aims to be able to better address central future issues such as climate protection, digitalization and sustainable economic activity. For the first time, Berlin's Senate Office for Higher Education and Research is funding a consortium of five independent, non-profit research institutes that are based in Berlin and part of the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet). Ecornet is a German network of independent research institutes with a focus on the environment and sustainability. The goal of this unprecedented research project "Wissen. Wandel. Berlin" is to strengthen Berlin's pioneering role in the development of innovative approaches to ensuring a livable, climate-neutral and sustainable city.

Presentation

Good Practices from Germany as an Inspiration for Polish Local-governments: Presentation of innovative nature-based solutions from Berlin

TimeLoc

27 October 2020

online

Ewa Iwaszuk

Ecologic Institute's Ewa Iwaszuk discussed a number of innovative pilot projects, introduced in Berlin in the last 20 years, during the conference "Blue and Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Change Mitigation" held online in Polish language on 27 October 2020. Her presentation discussed the sites' contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation and the key success factors behind Berlin's efforts to combat climate change in the city using nature-based solutions. The presentation slides and the event recording are available online.Read more

Publication

Guía para la integración de las Soluciones Basadas en la Naturaleza en la planifcación urbana

primera aproximación para colombia

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are emerging as a tool to integrate nature into territorial planning, with great opportunities to address these threats and benefit humans and ecosystems in parallel. The guide for integrating nature-based solutions in urban planning, a first approach for Colombia has been developed to facilitate the inclusion of nature in urban planning through a seven-step process. The guide was written by Carolina Figueroa during her time at Ecologic Institute as an Alexander von Humboldt International Climate Protection Fellow. The guide is available for download.Read more

News

Adaptation

Cities

Climate

Addressing climate change in cities: order your free copy of the publications

The two publications Catalogue of urban nature-based solutions and Policy instruments to promote urban nature-based solutions form the "Addressing Climate Change in Cities" series. Designed to support planners, designers, landscape architects as well as policymakers, city officials and local activists these two books offer a comprehensive introduction to the world of urban nature-based solutions (NBS). It is now possible to order a free hard copy of each of the publications for your institutional or personal library via an order form.

Publication

Addressing Climate Change in Cities – Policy Instruments to Promote Urban Nature-based Solutions

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are solutions that are inspired and supported by nature. They can be used in urban settings to complement or replace "traditional" or "grey" solutions to social and environmental challenges, such as air pollution, the heat island effect, water scarcity, flooding, loss of nature and lack of social cohesion. This guidance document highlights a range of policy and supporting instruments relevant for NBS design, implementation and maintenance.Read more

Project

International Development

Sustainability

International Cooperation to Restore and Connect Urban Environments in Latin America and Europe (INTERLACE)

September 2020 to August 2024

Cities and their peripheries are constantly confronted with challenges such as urban sprawl, climate change and pollution. These processes can exacerbate the degradation of natural ecosystems, and jeopardize ecosystem service provisioning with negative consequences for human health and well-being, biodiversity, social cohesion and equity, and, finally, city resilience. The INTERLACE project brings together a unique consortium of European and Latin American partners to contribute to effectively restoring and rehabilitating urban ecosystems to make cities more livable, resilient and inclusive. The project aims to advance knowledge and awareness of restorative nature-based solutions (NBS), such as the restoration of wetlands and rivers, as well as to foster more ecologically coherent and integrated city planning processes. In addition, it lays the foundation for sustained multi-directional cooperation and exchange between European and Latin American cities for wider transformative impact.Read more

Presentation

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Sustainability

How to Feed the City with Regional Production?

TimeLoc

9 September 2020

Dresden

Germany

Wolfram Günther

Valentin Thurn

Jörg Naumann

Stephanie Wunder

How to increase regional food production and consumption for and in cities? That was the guiding question for the panel discussion with Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, Wolfram Günther, Saxon Minister of Agriculture, Valentin Thurn, film director and chairman of the Cologne Food Policy Council and Jörg Naumann, farmer and representative of the alliance "Land schafft Verbindung" on 9 September 2020 at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden. Read more

Event

Visitors Program

Biodiversity

Cities

Addressing Climate Change in Cities: Berlin study tour for Polish NBS and local government experts

TimeLoc

25 August 2020 to 26 August 2020

Berlin

Germany

A group of polish local government experts, landscape planners, architects and engineers participated in a study tour on nature-based solutions in Berlin on 25 and 26 August 2020, which was part of the EUKI project "Climate NBS Poland". Nature-based solutions (NBS) can be implemented in urban settings to deliver a suite of services to address climate change, such as reduce demand for heating and cooling, stormwater management, microclimate regulation but also support human health and recreation. Thanks to their multi-functionality and sustainability NBS are increasingly applied as measures to address climate change in cities – in Berlin, a number of innovative NBS projects have been implemented in Berlin already since the 1990s to address such challenges.Read more