General description

URWAN addresses the critical link between urban regeneration and resources, exploiting nature-based solutions’ role in integrating water management and climate change adaptation. The project involves 9 partners from 7 Mediterranean countries, who will jointly implement activities affecting the decision-making process to multiply the impacts of public funds. The partnership capitalises on innovative participatory approaches and existing Nature Based Solutions (NBSs) while demonstrating the importance of making these solutions multifunctional.

The URWAN Catalogue for final users harmonises knowledge of NBSs using a creative style able to reach all the local players and support the co-design of the proper NBSs to face the challenges.

Further, URWAN transforms 3 public buildings into “water producers”, promoting green urban surfaces as a place-based transformative potential by implementing transnational experimental interventions. The project involves decision-makers and stakeholders in 6 cities to co-design multifunctional NBSs in a climate change scenario and deliver Road Maps towards adaptation.

Thanks to the Amplification Strategy and the Nature-based solutions Enabler Pack, the partners demonstrate and transfer the joint solutions and mainstream NBSs. The avant-garde idea is to inspire decision-makers to valorise NBSs as resources for generating urban sustainability, beauty, and social inclusion, i.e., “needs behind functionality”, as stated in the New European Bauhaus Initiative

Objective

Promote climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches

Specific objectives

• Increase knowledge between local administration, and urban planners related to Nature-Based solutions (NBS) for water reuse in urban areas to minimize resource use and maximize benefits to better respond to climate change.
• Transform buildings and public facilities in water producers merging urban challenges and water management, in a climate change adaptation perspective while promoting the greening of urban surfaces as place-based transformative potential
• Improve the capacity of the target cities’ decision makers to engage stakeholders on co-design
  • multifunctional NBSs and tailor investments for more inclusive, beautiful, sustainable, and resilient living areas
• Multiply and amplify the effects of project results, integrating an economic, social, and cultural analysis of barriers for facilitating decision-makers to mainstream NBS at a governance level.

Beneficiary

The results of the project will be useful for all membres of the network interested in increasing the resilience of climate change through the implementation of NBS.

Direct beneficiaries:

• Sarajevo
• Larnaka

Associated partners:

• Jerash
• Málaga

To support the network MedCities will include some outputs in the MedUrbanTools platform www.medurbantools.com to have a space where experiences, best practices, innovative solutions, and procurements approaches may be shared creating opportunities for discussion and collaboration.

Main SDGs addressed

The project works towards the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 3, 6, 11, 13, 15, 17.