UrbanGreenLeap

The project addresses common territorial challenges of the program area:

1. The growth and densification of urbanised areas at the expense of green areas coupled with frequent heatwaves and meteorological extreme events is causing unwanted consequences, such as surplus mortality during summer months, lower air quality, urban heat island effects, urban floods 
and habitat fragmentation.

2. Spaces for urban nature and greening as well as spaces for public use and community activities are getting rare in quantity, and/or in quality.

3. El canvi climàtic amb temperatures extremes i les condicions meteorològiques causa estrès a la naturalesa urbana, perjudica la salut de les plantes i els seus ecosistemes, la pèrdua de biodiversitat i la reducció de l'ecosistema funcions de les zones verdes urbanes.

4. Climate change with extreme temperatures and weather conditions causes stress to urban nature, 
harms the health of plants and their ecosystems, loss of biodiversity and reduction of the ecosystem 
functions of urban green areas, so cities must effectively protect and 
develop their green areas and additionally ambitiously green the urban environment.

5. Local authorities and public service in small-medium towns don’t have the competencies and experiences regarding green space protection and development and grening of living areas.

Project objective

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to manage green spaces sustainably, promote citizen participation, develop Urban Nature Plans to integrate biodiversity and strengthen urban green infrastructure to reduce the impact of climate change.

Project actions

UrbanGreenLeap has been designed to provide integrated, innovative and practical solutions to challenges. First, the project contributes to redesigning green spaces and improving 
ecosystem functions for people by improving the knowledge, and capacities of the relevant staff of 
local authorities and by making available a range of tools, practises and methods (to be developed, 
tested and validated in the frame of the project). Secondly project, helps city practitioners involve the 
citizens in the practice and empower them to participate in daily routines and further coordinated and 
independent actions, to change the behaviour of citizens by providing specific solutions they can 
use. Finally, the project also tackles the third obstacle – the limited commitment of decision-makers 
to strategic planning and participatory practice of design and management of urban green space by 
helping to raise the awareness of their local decision-makers.