As part of the action plan for the Working Group on Greener and Climate Resilient Cities and following the results of the BAMM (Barcelona Academy for Mediterranean Municipalities), on November 20th, 2024, MedCities organized the first webinar for the Working Group composed of 23 members, focusing on urban cooling strategies to enhance heat resilience in Mediterranean cities.

Supported by the Ajuntament de Barcelona, the event brought together municipal representatives and urban resilience experts to explore innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts of rising temperatures.

Webinar Overview

The session began with an introduction to the critical challenges faced by Mediterranean cities, including rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and increased vulnerability to extreme weather.

The webinar included presentations of four case studies:

1. Marseille’s “Ville Nature” Initiative
   Marseille’s strategy focuses on renaturing the city through a holistic approach of restoration of green spaces, schoolyard greening, and citizen-led initiatives like Jardin Labadie. These efforts mitigate urban heat while enhancing biodiversity.
2. Izmir’s Green Axes and Nature-Based Solutions
   Izmir focuses on implementing heat-resilient infrastructure, including permeable pavements, heat-tolerant trees, and water management systems. Projects like Green Up integrate citizen engagement and academic monitoring.
3. Malgrat de Mar’s Bioclimatic Network
   This strategy combines outdoor and indoor climate shelters to protect vulnerable populations during heatwaves. The project incorporates a comprehensive vulnerability analysis, with green corridors and public and private spaces in the most vulnerable areas.
4. Valencia’s Climate Shelters Network
   Valencia has established over 1,000 geolocated climate shelters in municipal buildings and public spaces. With strong policy frameworks, public awareness campaigns, and early warning systems to ensure effective heat response measures.

Insights from Group Discussions

The webinar used virtual tools to exchange ideas and identify actionable strategies and potential barriers for the implementation. Participants highlighted challenges such as:

• Limited political support and funding.
• Difficulties in community engagement.
• Technical constraints in integrating green infrastructure.

Proposed solutions included:

• Strengthening inter-departmental collaboration within municipalities.
• Launching targeted communication campaigns to raise public awareness.
• Building smaller-scale pilot projects to demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness.

The discussions provided valuable inputs for shaping the 2025 Work Plan for the Working Group.

Key Takeaways

The webinar underscored the importance of nature-based solutions and urban cooling strategies to combat rising temperatures in Mediterranean cities.

Lessons learned include:

• The critical role of citizen engagement in fostering ownership of green projects.
• The necessity of vulnerability analysis to target interventions effectively.
• The value of replicable and scalable initiatives supported by robust policy framework

The insights gathered will be combined with data from the BAMM Academy and WG questionnaires to develop MedCities’ 2025 action plan. A second webinar for the WG, scheduled for 18th December 2024, will focus on the WEFE approach and complement efforts to improve strategies for enhancing resilience to heat, addressing the WEFE nexus, and tackling other climate-related challenges in the Mediterranean.