GreenInCities

GreenInCities is a Horizon Europe project operating under the European Cities Mission. The project’s core objective is to transform urban spaces through the deployment of various Nature-based Solutions (NbS, are actions that harness the power of nature to solve societal problems, like climate change, whilst benefitting biodiversity) combined with advanced technological applications. GreenInCities adopts a holistic approach by valuing both human and non-human needs, leveraging data-driven innovation fused with neuroscience to co-create a sustainable future. Its systematic strategy is designed to proactively address crucial challenges related to climate adaptation and mitigation within urban environments

The project is ambitious in its scope, and involves 31 partners from across Europe lead by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) (see full consortium composition here). We are working together over 4-year timeline.

GreenInCities methodology is being deployed and tested in five leader cities and six follower cities scattered across European continent, representing different climate zones and urban morphologies.

The project aims to develop methodologies and tools for collaborative climate mitigation and adaptation urban planning, particularly focusing on deprived areas which often face challenges related to pollution, low-quality environments, and are associated with higher burden of mental health and wellbeing. GreenInCities strictly aligns its outcomes with the principles of the New European Bauhaus, European Green Deal and Sustainable Development Goals.

NeuroLandscape's Role in GreenInCities

NeuroLandscape (NL) is a key technical partner driving the (neuro)scientific and digital innovation. Our work is grounded in a core principle: there is a direct and measurable link between the quality of the living environment and the mental health and wellbeing of its residents.

And our primary ambition is to explore this critical intersection with scientific rigour and objective data - data collected from actual residents in their real-life scenarios.

NL interdisciplinary team in this project includes landscape architect Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo, neuroscience and psychology researchers: Dr. Nicolas Escoffier, Anastasia Kokkinou and computation neuroscientist Dr. David O'Reilly.  Our aim is to develop and test a suite of innovative, health promotion-oriented tools for cities: 

GreenInCities provides a unique opportunity - a "living lab" - to validate our approach. We are measuring the neuro-psychophysiological responses of residents to their everyday neighbourhoods before and after the implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) developed through the project's co-creation process. Thanks to recent technological advances, we can move the neuroscience laboratory outdoors. Using a citizen science approach, residents can autonomously collect their own brain and heart data in response to their environment.

This ensures our solutions are truly bottom-up , being based on data from the lived experience of the actual communities. They are also scientifically-backed and aim to represent the complexity of sensory environments.  Our work in GreenInCities not only deepens our understanding of the human-environment relationship but also paves the way for an actionable and positive shift in urban planning.