GreenBlue Urban’s Post

Cool Neighbourhoods Pilot Spotlight: Goes, Netherlands 🌿 As part of our Cool Neighbourhoods series, today’s focus is on Goes, a Dutch municipality tackling significant heat stress in its inner city. Urbanisation and minimal green spaces have intensified these challenges, but Gemeente Goes is embracing nature-based solutions to cool the neighbourhood, enhance biodiversity, and build resilience against climate change. The city plans to introduce greening surfaces and façades, addressing urban heat while creating a more liveable environment for residents. While economic limitations and technical issues, like buried cables, pose hurdles, the pilot project prioritises community participation and collaborative efforts with the municipality to overcome these challenges. Through testing innovative cooling techniques, Gemeente Goes aims to set an example for sustainable urban development. The full report provides a detailed analysis of Goes’ climate adaptation strategy, offering valuable insights for other municipalities across Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) working to enhance urban liveability and resilience. Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Gemeente Middelburg Interreg North Sea Programme Cool Cities GreenDense Except Integrated Sustainability Tiny Maenhout Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer Provincie Antwerpen University of Antwerp HZ University of Applied Sciences Ville de Saint-Omer Ville de Differdange Sioen Industries Gemeente Goes COMMUNE DE WIMEREUX Eranda Janku, PhD Benny Pycke, PhD Carolien Eijkelenboom Helen Roskam Tom Bosschaert #Liveability #ClimateResilience #UrbanGreening #HeatStress #SustainableCities #Goes #NatureBasedSolutions #CommunityEngagement

Expanding the Green Vision to Small Towns The transformative power of greening is not limited to buzzing metropolises; it extends its roots deep into the heart of small towns, where the impact is felt just as much as in large cities. Small towns may not have concrete jungles in their urban centers and more natural green spaces. Still, this narrative of revitalization and community-building through green spaces holds equally profound significance in the urban centers of small towns. Read more: https://hubs.ly/Q02sggXf0 #GoGreen #SmallTown #GreenSpaces #SmallTownBigIMPACT #IMPACTParks #CityParks #CityRecreation #OutdoorRecreation #ParksAndRecreation

The Final PESTLE/SWOT Analysis in the Cool Neighbourhoods Series: Ville de Saint-Omer Ville, France 🌟 We’re delighted to share the last in our series of PESTLE/SWOT analyses for the Cool Neighbourhoods project. Today, we spotlight Ville de Saint-Omer Ville, where a deprived urban neighbourhood is being revitalised as part of a broader renewal programme focused on the Quai des Salines. This densely populated area faces significant heat stress due to its mineral-heavy structure and limited greenery. Situated between two canals, it presents unique challenges and opportunities, especially given its status as a safeguarded heritage zone (PSMV). Building on previous greening efforts at Montaigne school (Cool Towns project), this pilot prioritises softening, water management, and community engagement to improve liveability and climate resilience. While the project contends with limited funding, rising costs, and logistical complexities, it benefits from strong political support, active community involvement, and collaboration opportunities at regional and European levels. The Cool Neighbourhoods project team is committed to creating a more sustainable and inclusive future, and the Ville de Saint-Omer pilot is a shining example of how innovation can overcome barriers. 💬 Join the conversation! How can heritage conservation and climate adaptation work hand in hand to create resilient urban spaces? 📥 Don’t forget to explore the Cool Neighbourhoods full series of PESTLE/SWOT reports and share your thoughts! Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Gemeente Middelburg Interreg North Sea Programme Cool Cities GreenDense Except Integrated Sustainability Tiny Maenhout Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer Provincie Antwerpen University of Antwerp HZ University of Applied Sciences Ville de Saint-Omer Ville de Differdange Sioen Industries Gemeente Goes COMMUNE DE WIMEREUX Eranda Janku, PhD Benny Pycke, PhD Carolien Eijkelenboom Helen Roskam Tom Bosschaert Yann Logelin Sabine COUROUBLE Caroline RICOUART Sacha Oberweis Gaelle Tavernier #Liveability #ClimateAdaptation #UrbanResilience #UrbanGreening #Sustainability #CommunityEngagement #HeritageAndClimateAdaptation #GreenCities

✨ Introducing the latest Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) comic by Alma Holm: "That's My Spot" ✨ In smoggy Cape Town, Santi and Bash are broke but determined. With a dream to turn a dreary parking lot into a green fynbos oasis, can they outwit traffic and asphalt? WHAT IS ‘NBS’ ABOUT THIS COMIC? Creating urban spaces that prioritize people and nature over cars requires a reimagining of city design to foster a sustainable, healthy, and connected environment. One of the most impactful strategies is reducing car dominance by expanding pedestrian zones, developing dedicated bike lanes, and investing in accessible, reliable public transit. This not only lessens pollution but also frees up valuable space for green infrastructure such as parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets, which improve air quality and enhance biodiversity. Integrating green roofs, urban farms, and community gardens further brings nature into the city, making it accessible for all. Such spaces encourage social interactions, reduce heat, and offer habitats for local wildlife. Prioritizing shared, green spaces over parking lots and wide roads can transform cities into vibrant, people-centered communities. Ultimately, a shift towards car-free, nature-rich urban planning can create resilient, inclusive cities that promote well-being, social connection, and environmental sustainability. Santi and Bash’s story highlights the power of NbS to create resilient, inclusive cities for all living beings. 🚦 Follow their journey through humor, perseverance, and innovation as they inspire us to imagine greener cities for all. 📖 Read the full comic and get inspired: https://lnkd.in/dt3qKUsi 💡 What’s your vision for reclaiming urban spaces? Let’s discuss! This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under project NetworkNature EU Produced by The Nature of Cities, Network Nature, and our partners… #NatureBasedSolutions #UrbanGreening #FynbosOasis #GreenCities #Sustainability #NBSComics #Storytelling

Urban Forests: A Breath of Fresh Air "Greener cities are smarter cities!" Incorporating trees into urban planning aligns with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Let’s plant trees in our neighborhoods and create cooler, healthier urban spaces. Share your thoughts on urban tree planting projects! #UrbanForests #SustainableLiving #SDG11

The integration of #parks and #greenspaces into urban landscapes plays a key role in the search for more sustainable and livable cities. 🌳🌼🏙️ Not only do these spaces provide respite from the concrete jungle, they improve #biodiversity, #airquality and promote community well-being. ✅ Here are the 5 most important #principles for designing parks and green spaces that blend seamlessly with the urban fabric: 🌿 Accessibility for everyone 🌿 Ecological integration 🌿 Flexible spaces for multiple purposes 🌿 Connection through green corridors 🌿 Involvement of the local community Green spaces are not only places for walking and recreation, but also the heart of our cities, intersections where we connect with nature and each other. 💚 Read more 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dmNZ6pAW ✏️📸: LinkedIn CITIES FORUM -------------------- #SustainableCities #GreenSpaces #UrbanGreening #ActGREEN #ActGREENZagreb

Successful urban ecosystem restoration projects are transforming cities into vibrant, sustainable environments. These initiatives involve restoring native vegetation, revitalizing waterways, creating urban wetlands, and establishing green corridors that connect natural habitats. Projects like these enhance biodiversity, improve air and water quality, and provide recreational spaces for residents. Examples of successful urban ecosystem restoration include the High Line in New York City, which transformed an abandoned railway into a thriving green space, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, which restored a historic stream and created a bustling urban park. These projects demonstrate the profound impact that ecosystem restoration can have on urban areas. #EarthFirstConsulting #UrbanRestoration #SustainableCities #GreenInfrastructure #Biodiversity #UrbanPlanning #EnvironmentalHealth #EcoFriendlyCities

Successful urban ecosystem restoration projects are transforming cities into vibrant, sustainable environments. These initiatives involve restoring native vegetation, revitalizing waterways, creating urban wetlands, and establishing green corridors that connect natural habitats. Projects like these enhance biodiversity, improve air and water quality, and provide recreational spaces for residents. Examples of successful urban ecosystem restoration include the High Line in New York City, which transformed an abandoned railway into a thriving green space, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, which restored a historic stream and created a bustling urban park. These projects demonstrate the profound impact that ecosystem restoration can have on urban areas. #EarthFirstConsulting #UrbanRestoration #SustainableCities #GreenInfrastructure #Biodiversity #UrbanPlanning #EnvironmentalHealth #EcoFriendlyCities

Successful urban ecosystem restoration projects are transforming cities into vibrant, sustainable environments. These initiatives involve restoring native vegetation, revitalizing waterways, creating urban wetlands, and establishing green corridors that connect natural habitats. Projects like these enhance biodiversity, improve air and water quality, and provide recreational spaces for residents. Examples of successful urban ecosystem restoration include the High Line in New York City, which transformed an abandoned railway into a thriving green space, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, which restored a historic stream and created a bustling urban park. These projects demonstrate the profound impact that ecosystem restoration can have on urban areas. #EarthFirstConsulting #UrbanRestoration #SustainableCities #GreenInfrastructure #Biodiversity #UrbanPlanning #EnvironmentalHealth #EcoFriendlyCities

Green Shades is the first system in the world that allows the installation of vegetable awnings, that is, tensile sails covered with vegetation, opening a new range of possibilities for urban landscaping, improving the climate control of spaces covered by tensile structures.This innovative initiative, a byproduct of the Urban GreenUp European project, represents a major stride in reimagining how we integrate nature into our cities. . . . #Prakrti #Greenshades #Sustainability #Greenerfuture #Zeroemission #Carbonfootprint #Carboncredit #Climatechange