Last week, MedCities carried out two key missions as part of the NATURIncMed project, funded by AECID, strengthening collaboration with the municipalities involved in the project, El Mina and Madaba, and focusing on the upcoming activities.

In El Mina (Lebanon), we joined the municipality and the local experts in participatory urban design to review project activities and conduct a thorough site selection process. We visited three potential locations for implementing Nature-based Solutions and designing an inclusive public space, assessing opportunities and challenges on the ground. These field visits helped us ensure that our actions align with the municipalities’ priorities and citizens’ needs. The day concluded with an open presentation to civil society organizations, where we shared project objectives and gathered valuable feedback from local stakeholders, taking into consideration the local perspectives, a key step in co-creating more inclusive and resilient urban environments for the upcoming co-design workshops.

In Madaba, we were warmly welcomed by Mr. Aref Rawajeeh, Mayor of the Greater Municipality of Madaba, who addressed encouraging words to participants and for the development of the project. In Madaba, we organised a 2-day practical training on the participatory design of greening urban public spaces, hosted by Madaba municipality. It engaged local teams and representatives from partner cities, combined interactive and field-based activities, including community mapping, exploration of design values, and a collective visioning session through back casting and role play. Participants also carried out an Urban Safari to diagnose one of the pre-selected sites in Madaba and used storytelling tools for visual site analysis. On the second day, the focus shifted to user-centred prototyping, inter-city exchange on greening strategies and identity, and practical sessions on project scaling and implementation planning.

These activities are part of the main mission of NATURIncMed to support municipalities in capacity-building and co-designing more inclusive, resilient, and green urban environments, rooted in community needs and local heritage, with a cooperative perspective.