Cities
Ecologic Institute's urban and spatial governance team draws on the expertise of the Institute's sector-specific teams to cover a broad range of research topics. These include green and blue infrastructure (i.e. nature-based solutions), local climate change mitigation and adaptation, urban water cycles, city region food systems, urban food policies, urban-rural linkages, as well as smart cities and digital transformation at the local level.
Projects undertaken by the team include evaluations of programs. In our transdisciplinary research, projects regularly include process design, the facilitation of participatory processes at the local level, or the development of strategies with direct participation by municipal actors and other stakeholders. While aiming at the implementation of specific policies and measures, the projects also contribute to building capacity at the local level for such processes.
Contact
Related Topics
Selected Projects for Cities
Tackling Urban Heat Islands in Rome
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Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), International PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Services (PwC Italia), Italy
Climate Adaptation Naturally!
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German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
Using Urban Development Funding to Promote Biodiversity (BioVibeS)
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Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Germany
Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies (NICHES)
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Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik, Germany
Adaptation of Stormwater Management to Extreme Weather Events (AMAREX)
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Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Resilience in Europe through Activating City Hubs Reaching out to Users with Triple-A Climate Adaptation Tools (REACHOUT)
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International
ElectricityNeighbours – Can tenants in Berlin's apartment buildings become prosumers through solar power projects and sector coupling?
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Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery , Germany
International Cooperation to Restore and Connect Urban Environments in Latin America and Europe (INTERLACE)
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International
Sustainable Urban Development in the European Arctic (SUDEA)
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German Development Institute (DIE), Germany
Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin – Transdisciplinary research for a social and ecological metropolis
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Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery , Germany
Co-designing Locally-tailored Ecological Solutions for Value-added, Socially Inclusive Regeneration in Cities (CLEVER Cities)
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International
Digital Water City – Leading urban water management to its digital future (DWC)
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International European Commission, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), International
Selected Publications for Cities
Kupilas, B; Burgos, N; Davis, M; McDonald, H; Enzi, V; Konchenko, T (2025). Sectoral Brief: Built Environment. GoNaturePositive! Horizon Europe Grant Agreement No. 101135264, European Commission. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15517015
German Environment Agency (ed.): Naturbasierte Klimaanpassung in Kommunen. Topic page compiled by Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Environment Agency, Dessau-Roßlau. URL: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/klimafolgen-anpassu…
Ecologic Institute 2025: Increasing Flood Resilience: tools for city planners. Video. Online: https://youtu.be/nIPD_DnoOq0.
Ecologic Institute 2025: Tackling Urban Heat: tools for city planners. Video. Online: https://youtu.be/dQsADGjNqsU
Tabares, J.; Vera, L.; Calderón, E.; Gutiérrez, M.; Romero, X.; Burgos Cuevas, N.; Iwazuk, E. (2025): Stories of Justice in Action: Learning from the INTERLACE project (Deliverable 6.6) INTERLACE Project. Available in English and Spanish.
NABU 2025: Wie sehen die Folgen der Klimakrise aus? Interactive infographic. Online: https://www.nabu.de/umwelt-und-ressourcen/klima-und-luft/klimawandel/
Gutiérrez Miranda, M.; Burgos Cuevas, N.; Felthöfer, C.; Knoblauch, D. (2024): From ideas to action. INTERLACE impulses for successfully implementing NbS in cities. INTERLACE Project Deliverable 2.4.
McCormick, K., Kiss, B., Voytenko Palgan, Y., Bulkeley, H., Davis, M., Raven, R., Luque-Ayala, A., & Hörschelmann, K. (2024). Urban nature: New directions for city futures. Cambridge University Press.
INTERLACE 2024: Nature-based Solutions: How to regenerate nature to make neighborhoods more livable, biodiverse, and resilient to climate change. Massive Open Online Course. Online: https://learningwith.uclg.org/p/restoring-urban-ecosystems.
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (Hrsg.) (2024): Städte grün und vielfältig (um)gestalten. Praxisleitfaden für Kommunen zur Berücksichtigung von biologischer Vielfalt in Gebieten der Städtebauförderung. Bonn.
Ecologic Institute 2024: Planning for Net Zero. Key Elements in Shaping Effective Local Long-term Climate Neutrality Strategies. Poster. Berlin: Ecologic Institute.
German Federal Agency for Nature Constervation (ed.) (2024): Urban Nature Plan: Considering quality of life, climate and biodiversity together! A guide to implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 in urban areas. Bonn.
CLEVER Cities 2023: CLEVER Cities Guidance. Website. Online: https://clever-guidance.clevercities.eu
Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft Baden-Württemberg (ed.) 2023: Kompaktinformation für Kommunen: Strategie zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel in Baden-Württemberg. Fortschreibung.
INTERLACE project consortium 2023: Urban Governance Atlas. Interactive database. Published on 11 May 2023. Online: https://interlace-hub.com/urban-governance-atlas.
Ecologic Institute 2022: Beating the heat: Europe prepares for climate change impacts. Podcast. 2 September 2022. Online: https://greendealbigdeal.podigee.io
Gailhofer, P., Franke, J., Gsell, M., Kollosche, I., Thomas, D., Stockhaus, H., Best, A. (2022). Datengovernance und -regulierung für ein nachhaltiges Berlin – übergeordnete Erkenntnisse und Handlungsempfehlungen (Wissen. Wandel. Berlin. Report Nr.24). Berlin: Öko-Institut, UfU., IZT, Ecologic Institut, Forschungsverbund Ecornet Berlin.
Umpfenbach, Katharina et al. 2022: StromNachbarn: Reformoptionen für einen beschleunigten Ausbau von Photovoltaikanlagen auf Mehrfamilienhäusern in Berlin. Wissen. Wandel. Berlin. | Report Nr. 24. Berlin: Ecologic Institut.
Selected Events for Cities
Workshop:Launch of the AMAREX Web Tool Prototype
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- Berlin, Germany
Workshop:Shaping the Future of Hamburg's Agricultural Sector – Together
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- Hamburg, Germany
Digital Event:Supporting Local Governments in Reaching Climate Neutrality
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- online
Workshop:Mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect
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- Online, Italy
Conference:Climate Transition of Cities – From Planning to Action
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- online and Kraków, Poland
Digital Event:Bringing Forward Nature-Based-Solutions in Major Cities
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- online
Digital Event:Building a Lasting Legacy
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- online
Workshop:Transformation of Berlin's Rainwater Management through NbS
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- Berlin, Germany
Digital Event:Advancing Natural Climate Adaptation
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- online
Visitors Program:Inspiring Climate Action in Cities in Central and Eastern Europe
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- Chemnitz, Germany
Digital Event:Creating More Livable, Biodiverse and Climate Resilient Cities with Nature-based Solutions
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- online
Workshop:AgriKultur Festival Berlin 2024
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- Berlin, Germany
Visitors Program:International Exchange on Nature-Based Solutions
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- Berlin, Germany
Workshop:City Networks as Change Catalyzers
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- Barcelona, Spain
Conference:The Nature of Cities Festival 2024
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- virtual and Berlin, Germany
Conference:Shaping Urban Nature – Now!
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- online and Leipzig, Germany
Digital Event:Navigating Challenges in Citizen Participation for Climate Neutrality
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- online
Digital Event:Effective Measures Promoting Biodiversity
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- online
Workshop:Practice Forum: Climate Adaptation on Site
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- Berlin, Germany
Selected Presentations for Cities
Speech:Digital Tools for Urban Climate Adaptation
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- online
Speech:Ecologic Team Active at the Network Nature Annual Events in Brussels
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- Brussels, Belgium
Interview:Green Synergies in Municipalities: Applying nature-based solutions in cities
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Speech:Navigating Urban Climate Transformations: Unravelling the Mechanisms of Successful Long-term Climate Neutrality Strategies in Cities
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- Turku, Finland
Speech:A Spotlight on Nature-Based Solutions
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- Barcelona, Spain
Panel discussion:Green Synergies in Local Governments
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- Warsaw, Poland
Speech:Climate Adaptation through Nature-based Solutions
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- Leipzig, Germany
Speech:Urban Governance Atlas
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- Online
Speech:Enabling Transformation in Urban Areas with Nature-based Solutions
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- hybrid, Brussels, Belgium
Chairing:Urban-Rural Linkages and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Sustainable Development
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- Envigado, Colombia
Speech:Participation is Key – at the right time
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- Cascais, Portugal
Chairing:Putting Theory into Practice: Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions into Policy
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- online and Hamburg, Germany