CLEVER Cities is bringing the UrbanByNature (UbN) programme to South Eastern Europe!
In collaboration with the City of Belgrade, the ICLEI World Secretariat, ICLEI Europe, the Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies (CEUS) and the Environmental Protection Agency Covasna, UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub (UbN SEE) will be launched in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on 17 May 2022.
The UbN SEE programme will host a five-part webinar series for South Eastern European urban nature champions. A pre-launch event was held on 29 March 2022, at The Nature of Cities global online festival.
The official launch took place during the 24th European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF), and consisted of high-level opening remarks, inspiring showcases of urban nature-based solutions in practice, and interactive workshops to foster cross-city engagement. On 18 May, participants of the UbN SEE kick-off were invited to join a site visit to Belgrade’s future Linear park (Section 1 under construction).
Our target region
The aim of UbN SEE is to establish a platform for continuous knowledge and experience exchange on nature-based solutions (NBS) for urban climate adaptation, especially among the partners of various Horizon 2020 projects: CLEVER Cities, Connecting Nature, NAIAD, NATURVATION, proGIreg, URBiNAT, ThinkNature, GrowGreen, REGREEN, EdiCitNet, RECONECT, OPERANDUM, EuPOLIS, CLEARING HOUSE, BiodivERsA, etc.
Communication between professionals from the EU Candidate Countries and their colleagues from neighbouring EU Member States is particularly important in the SEE region for effective dissemination of expertise in urban greening strategies co-creation, and upscaling of NBS practice.
“Today more than ever we are aware of the fact that public health is the critical element of functional urban life. Urban greening is among the most important conditions for public health in a city, both mental and physical, contributing significantly to pollution reduction, mitigation of urban heat island effect, disaster risk reduction, as well as provision of spaces for socialisation and community cohesion. The City of Belgrade has the honour and pleasure to be the host of UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub, and therefore encourage the knowledge and experience exchange in planning and implementation of nature-based solutions in the region."
Zoran Radojičić, Mayor of the City of Belgrade
“Regional collaboration and exchange of experiences and ideas on nature-based solutions is critical for the resilient development of South Eastern Europe. Only in synergy, and with mutual support, we can address the pollution reduction challenges and high vulnerability of our region to the climate change crisis. Finally, participatory, inclusive and democratic processes for co-creation and joint implementation of public policies are crucial for achieving real societal transformation and green urban sustainability transition.”
Ana Mitić, Radulović, CEUS
"The Environmental Protection Agency of Covasna County supports the increased recognition of nature in urban planning because we consider that in these unpredictable times there must be something pointed to the future. Locally adapted NBS solutions deliver increased adaptability and multiple benefits for different communities all around the world, and. They serve as an insurance for the sustainable development, better living spaces, urban regeneration, social cohesion and access to natural resources."
Neagu Gheorghe, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Covasna County
“It is a pleasure to see UrbanByNature kicking-off in South Eastern Europe with such engaged and knowledgeable partners such as the City of Belgrade and CEUS. This expertise-sharing, knowledge-exchange and capacity-building programme shall help bring nature and nature-driven processes back into South-Eastern European cities by sensitising city representatives and staff from various departments (e.g. Environment and Greening, Urban Planning, Public Spaces, Public Health, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Sustainable Procurement), as well as planners and policy officers to NBS-related topics such as technical design, indicators, financing and business models, entrepreneurship, co-production, upscaling, etc. The programme will also generate interesting content for and with non-governmental organisations, the civil society, businesses and academia, creating a vibrant and inclusive Nature-Based Solution Community in the region.”
Daniela Rizzi, ICLEI Europe
Upcoming events
Past events
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #5 Recap
24 January 2023
Did you miss our fifth UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
Ana Mitić-Radulović, President of the Management Board of Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS moderated the event. She re-introduced the CLEVER Cities Project and the UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub, which serve to help cities grow capacities and learn about facilitating nature-based solutions (NBS). This included an explanation of step 6 of the UrbanByNature methodology, MONITOR, in which administrators of NBS projects use priorly identified indicators to monitor and evaluate results, specifically reflecting on the evaluation of the co-creation process and social impacts of NBS. Watch the webinar and view our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #4 Recap
6 December 2022
Did you miss our fourth UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
The moderator, Ana Mitić-Radulović, President of the Management Board of Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS, began by re-introducing the CLEVER Cities Project and the UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub, which serve to help cities grow capacities and learn about facilitating nature-based solutions (NBS). She described Step 5 of the UrbanByNature methodology, IMPLEMENT, which guides cities in setting clear implementation phases within a realistic time span, making good use of the available resources. Watch the webinar and view our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #3 Recap
14 November 2022
Did you miss the third edition of the UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar series? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
The #3 UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar addressed step 4 of the UbN programme, COMMIT & PLAN, which consists in outlining an action plan through strong participation of citizens in defining priority topics and intervention areas. The session was facilitated by Maggie Armstrong, member of the Circular Development Team, ICLEI World Secretariat. Read our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #2 Recap
16 September 2022
Did you miss the second edition of the UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar series? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
The #2 UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar addressed step 3 of the UbN programme, PRIORITIZE, which consists in collaborating with local residents and stakeholders for joint goal setting and prioritization of nature-based solutions that suit the local context. The session was facilitated by Ana Mitić-Radulović, President of the Management Board at Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS. Read our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #2 Recap
16 September 2022
Did you miss the second edition of the UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar series? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
The #2 UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar addressed step 3 of the UbN programme, PRIORITIZE, which consists in collaborating with local residents and stakeholders for joint goal setting and prioritization of nature-based solutions that suit the local context. The session was facilitated by Ana Mitić-Radulović, President of the Management Board at Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS. Read our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Hub Webinar #1 Recap
25 July 2022
Did you miss the first UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe webinar? Let’s briefly recap what happened:
The first UrbanNyNature (UbN) South Eastern Europe webinar addressed step 2 of the UbN programme, and focused on EXPLORING the local framework conditions for implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) and creating greener, more sustainable environments. Read our recap to learn more.
UrbanByNature South Eastern Europe Kick-Off event
15 June 2022
On May 17th and 18th, the city of Belgrade hosted, in cooperation with the Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies (CEUS), the ICLEI World Secretariat, ICLEI Europe and the Environmental Protection Agency Covasna, the kick-off event of the UrbanByNature hub in South Eastern Europe. The event gathered political leaders and project developers with expertise in green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The launch took place back-to-back with the 24th European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) and consisted of high-level remarks, inspiring showcases of urban nature-based solutions in practice and an interactive workshop to foster cross-city engagement. On the second day, participants were invited to experience a site visit to Belgrade’s future Linear park. Read our recap to learn more.
