As part of its ongoing efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable urban regeneration across the Mediterranean, MedCities carried out a mission to Gabès (Tunisia) on May 12th, 2025, to launch the NATURIncMed project in collaboration with the municipality of Gabès, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the expert team involved.

NATURIncMed is a project, framed within the Masar Al’an programme of AECID, a regional initiative supporting a just transition toward a resilient and sustainable social model, with a strong emphasis on climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection, and equitable access to water resources, while promoting a socially just and inclusive model. The project fosters indeed inclusive and sustainable urban regeneration through NbS, by supporting municipalities in co-designing public green spaces with the community, strengthening local capacities while addressing both climate resilience and social needs.

The visit included a full-day agenda combining discussion about the project’s objectives, timeline, methodology and the upcoming activities. A central part of the mission was the presentation of the project’s two main aspects in the current phase: the implementation of the participatory diagnosis and possible strategies on how to engage stakeholders and citizens. The session also introduced the criteria for the site selection and discussed the role of local actors in co-designing green urban spaces adapted to community needs. To better understand the context and potential of the intervention areas, the team visited two different sites in Gabès. The site of Cité El Ons was ultimately chosen for its strong social impact potential, given its socially strategic location close to one of the main Mosques of the city, and proximity to key institutions such as the public library and the University Centre for Cultural and Sports Activities in Gabès.

In the afternoon, a dedicated presentation brought together civil society organisations, where the Municipality introduced the importance of the project for the city and citizens, while AECID presented the Masar Al’an programme and approach, which is multi-country, multi-actor, cross-sectoral and inclusive, also embedded in the NATURIncMed project, presented by MedCities, with a Q&A session.

The dialogue with the civil society reflected these principles, as citizens raised concerns about the current state of public spaces, and offered ideas including shared gardens, areas for youth and families, and spaces that respond to Gabès’ climate and plant-related needs. The NATURIncMed team emphasised the participatory nature of the project and committed to ensuring that local voices are integrated at every stage of the design process. This mission marks a significant first step in building local capacity and fostering citizen-driven solutions for climate-resilient and inclusive green public space development in Gabès.