Tag: meeting

Cork, UK – October 8-9, 2024

Earlier this month, the NeuroLandscape team had the pleasure of attending the GreenInCities (GIC) Second Consortium Meeting in the vibrant city of Cork, Ireland. Hosted by the University College Cork (UCC) and Cork City Council, the two-day event gathered the international project partners to advance our shared mission: urban regeneration through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The meeting provided the platform for key discussions on urban greening, sustainability, mental health, and the role of innovative tools in creating more inclusive and resilient cities across Europe.

The first day began with presentations from the leader cities, including Barcelona, Prato, Helsinki, and Athens, featuring their pilot projects for revitalizing urban areas. These projects ranged from Barcelona’s development of the area around the Besòs River to Athens’ initiatives aimed at combating urban flooding and extreme heat risks. The representatives from the city of Helsinki also presented their toolkit of digital tools for transforming public spaces while involving the local communities into the co-creation and decision-making process.

In the afternoon, our team presented updates on our contribution to the project, the mental health evaluation. We introduced the NeuroUrbanism Assessment (NUA), a mental health evaluation tool that uses portable, user-friendly neuroimaging devices to measure the real-life effects of environmental exposures on mental health, and recording the neuroscience data. Following the presentation, we opened up the floor for an interesting discussion on how this tool tool can be applied to assess mental health in specific contexts of the leader cities.

The second day of the GreenInCities consortium meeting was another whirlwind of activity, featuring a packed but highly productive agenda. The morning began with a co-creation Theory of Change (TOC) workshop, organised by University College Cork and Multicriteria Group (Mcrit). This session encouraged the cities and stakeholders to work together on aligning local challenges, goals, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to achieve impactful outcomes tailored to each city's distinct environmental and social context.

The TOC workshop highlighted the diverse range of challenges cities face. These include combating urban heat islands to restoring degraded green spaces. By bringing together local priorities with global environmental objectives, cities can identify strategies to address these pressing issues.

One of the workshop's pivotal outcomes was the development of a co-production framework, focusing on engaging citizens and stakeholders in implementing and managing Nature-based Solutions. The inclusive approach prioritizes the involvement of communites most impacted by climate change and pollution, empowering them to actively shape and maintain relevant solutions to their local context. Engaging local stakeholders also contributes to building stronger, more resilient, and sustainable urban greening initiatives.

The next workshop, led by  consortium partner LAND, focused on identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the proposed solutions and interventions. KPIs are used widely for tracking progress, refining strategies, leading decision-making, and ensuring that actions, in this case Nature-based Solutions, deliver desired results. For the cities participating in the GreenInCities project, KPIs ensure there is a solid foundation for evidence-based initiatives, and help decision-makers prioritize interventions and allocate resources effectively and efficiently.

LAND guided the city representatives to conduct self-assessments, helping them identify gaps in their local governance structures, policy implementation, and potential environmental data unreliability. This reflection process ensured cities were better positioned to make informed decisions and select tools from the GIC Toolbox to address their unique challenges.

The GIC toolbox offers solutions designed to integrate the New European Bauhaus pillars into local contexts such as the digital mapping tools and community engagement platforms. By adopting these tools, cities can create inclusive, health-promoting, and sustainable urban environments.

The day concluded with visits to two of Cork’s successful community garden projects: the Knocknaheeny Hollyhill Community Garden, managed by the Niche Health Project, and the Churchfield Community Trust Blackpool. These initiatives offered a firsthand look at how Nature-based Solutions can strengthen urban resilience, enhance community well-being, and support environmental restoration.

After two days filled with workshops, fruitful discussions, and inspiring site visits, we left Cork buzzing with new ideas and a strengthened commitment to our project’s goals: building greener, healthier cities. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to our hosts, University College Cork and the Cork City Council for their warm hospitality and to all attending consortium members for a highly productive meeting!