CONE - Cities of nature: nature-based-solutions in urban living labs
The project aims to establish a multidimensional “Living Lab” to apply nature-based solutions in local contexts as a cross-sectoral, more digital, and democratic approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change. The project contributes to increasing resilience to climate change and natural disasters by implementing tailored measures with a participatory approach and supporting integrated climate adaptation policies at the local and regional levels.
Due to significant environmental, socio-economic, and human health impacts, Central European regions must increase resilience to climate change. According to the conceptual framework of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) on resilience, it is defined as the ability to face shocks and lasting structural changes in such a way that social welfare is maintained without compromising the heritage of future generations (JRC). To achieve this and ensure further urban development and adaptation of the local urban environment, CONE aims to address identified challenges and needs through local innovation living labs that engage actors from the quadruple helix: public sector, private sector, civil society, and academia.
The Urban Living Lab method includes three implementation phases:
- Joint research and context analysis to confirm identified challenges and recognize needs and barriers in the local context.
- Experimental phase, which includes ideation of innovative solutions, their incubation, and strategy development.
- Experiments and feedback: testing the implemented solution, collecting feedback, suggestions for improvements, validation, and replication.
There is a strong need to incorporate climate change issues into strategic risk-based planning and resilience-enhancing measures. Therefore, the innovation lies in a more democratic and data-driven approach that leads to community empowerment and raising awareness regarding climate change and potential mitigation and adaptation solutions. Within this framework, even if not technologically advanced, nature-based solutions can be a valuable and sustainable ally in combination with a participatory approach.
The CONE project will explore how the Urban Living Lab approach can be scalable and adaptable in more rural, small, and medium-sized settlements in Europe. The partnership will select co-creation / participatory design, implementation, and monitoring methods for NBS that are feasible and affordable in such Central European municipalities. The main focus will be on exploring and testing specific “living lab” methods that help municipalities design and implement - based on broader citizen engagement and better data collection, management, and use.
Link to the external project website
The overall goal of the project is to create strong partnerships that work together to develop and test methods for introducing nature-based solutions in markets. Implementation of a future regular project will increase the use of green technologies in cities and locally solve the problem of pollution and waste generated by markets. The seed money project will be used to identify city partners for the target project, locate problem areas and create an outline plan for research and projects, for future implementation.The goal of the seed money project is to develop four “teams” researching and implementing pilot solutions in four different locations. Each team will consist of at least two partners, including:
- R&D partner responsible for research and development,
- Municipal partner responsible for carrying out the pilot and assessment.
Public markets play an important role in European cities. They are places of trade with a potential to become places of sustainable consumption, inclusiveness and environmental transformation. This potential is already recognised by international organisations and individual municipalities (notably cities of Barcelona and London) across Europe. However, it still remains untapped in many areas, especially in Central and Eastern European cities of the SB region. Markets in cities from Central and Eastern Europe have their own set of particularities resulting from their geographical location (climate), they are often localised in central parts of city districts, offer direct access to local produce and are important meeting places. At the same time, they are places that are very often heavily concreted, with little architectural value and devoid of greenery. They are often a source of surface runoff with various origins as well as pollution content resulting from heavy pedestrian and road traffic and trade activities. Despite common characteristics of markets, there is a need to develop solutions that suit their individual needs based on the site-specific issues. We see the current situation not only as a chance to regenerate public markets but also to introduce new vital functions transforming them into spaces rejuvenating neighbourhoods. The project seeks to tackle the potential of urban markets to become catalysts for environmental change. The overall objective of the project is to establish strong partnerships that cooperate to develop and test methods to introduce nature based solutions in markets. Implementation of the future regular project will increase the use of green technologies in cities and address the issue of pollution and waste generated by markets locally. The seed money project will serve to identify municipal partners for the target project, locate problem areas and create an outline of a research and project plan, to be implemented in the future.
PROJECT BRIEF:
Project area: Increased use of green technologies in order to decrease the pollution discharges in the South Baltic area
Project scope: South Baltic area
The role of STG ERB: Partner with own budget
Co-financing rate 85%
Project budget: 40.000 EUR
STG ERB budget: 5.500 EUR
Project consortium: 3 partners from Poland, 1 partner from Lithuania, 1 partner from Germany, 1 partner from Denmark
The project is implemented under the "Environment, Energy, Climate Change" Program co-financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
The project provides for investment activities and soft activities carried out in parallel over a 26th-month period, not only in the area of Sztum City and Commune but also using the experience and expertise of partners from Norway, thanks to the support of International Development Norway. "Sztum Circular economy" uses the possibilities of transferring knowledge and good practices regarding environmental protection, entrepreneurship and the use of circular economy thanks to cooperation with the Gdańsk University of Technology - Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and leads to the internationalization of activities involving municipalities of two voivodeships and foreign partners from 5 regions of the Baltic Sea basin through information and network activities carried out through the Association of Polish Communes Euroregion Bałtyk.
The project consists of 4 components developed by partners from Poland and Norway, diversified in terms of scope and content, which contribute to creating lasting conditions for activity in the field of circular economy in the City and Commune of Sztum, participation and cooperation of the general public with local entities economy and environmental protection in the entire Baltic Sea region.
Through, among others training, an educational campaign, exchange of experiences for effective operation, increases the capacity of the human resources and resource potential in the field of circular economy (GOZ), while providing them with appropriate work tools, rationalization of management methods and techniques, increasing the efficiency of waste management and recycling, and increasing transparency and availability of the local offer to the general public. The use of innovative ways of engaging and educating residents (participation in the management of a repair point, SferaLab, hackathon) to manage waste segregation in a commune will contribute to the creation of an easily transferred model of stimulating social activity and increasing the levels of knowledge, ensuring the achievement of the main goal of the project, which is to strengthen the implementation of the circular economy closed.
Activities to make the functioning of the Selective Waste Collection Point facility for Sztum (including the construction of a selective waste collection point in Sztumskie Pole and a repair, storage and exhibition hall in Sztum) in a changing environment lead to an increase not only in the ability to adapt to social needs, but also to establish permanent cooperation with local entities in the field of development of information and education services provided in the city of Sztum. It is also better cooperation between the public, scientific, private, business and social sectors as well as the internationalization of the issues and promotion of good practices implemented under the project.
In terms of infrastructure, by creating a selective municipal waste collection point, the so-called SWCP (PSZOK in PL) and the repair - warehouse - exhibition hall aims to create permanent conditions for activities in the field of circular economy, and at the same time to protect the environment and health of the inhabitants of the City and Commune of Sztum.
Moreover, the project will promote regional and international cooperation, in which Polish and foreign partners will play an important role. The tasks carried out under the project will take place in Poland and abroad (Norway and BSR countries)
PROJECT BRIEF:
Project area: Circular economy, green and blue growth, counteracting climate change
Duration: 26 months
Project scope: local and transnational (investment activity in Poland, know-how from Norway). With a local or regional focus but international
The role of STG ERB: partner with own budget
Co-financing rate 85%
Project budget: 1 169 798,16 EUR
STG ERB budget: 67 819,77 EUR
Project consortium: 4 partners, including 3 from PL and 1 from NOR