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NeuroLandscape in Cork: GreenInCities Second Consortium 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.

 

Day 1

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.

Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis leading the Mental Health Evaluation workshop.
Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis presenting the portable neuroimaging device.
The NUA description poster.

Though the day was already packed with knowledge-rich and thought-provoking activities, UCC was determined to not let us go without some good old Irish fun. As they say, “Work Hard, Play Hard.” The evening reception, held at the UCC campus, was an energetic blend of traditional Irish music, delicious local food, and the opportunity to connect with colleagues in a completely different setting: on the dance floor! The perfect ending to the first day!

 

The GreenInCities consortium.

Day 2

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.

Ready to fill-in the Stakeholder Analysis canvas.

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’s final workshop, led by Ideas for Change, focused on enhancing the project’s communication strategies. During the workshop, partners stepped into the role of communication managers, working in teams to identify key milestones to promote throughout the project’s duration. The Ideas for Change team also conducted interviews with partners, including NeuroLandscape’s Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis.  Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis discussed NeuroLandscape’s innovative tools like the Contemplative Landscape Model (CLM), NUA, and the Mental Health Digital Twin, which provide insights into how carefully curated urban design can improve well-being by assessing the impact of green spaces on mental health and predicting outcomes of design interventions.

Lights, camera...interview!

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.

Knocknaheeny Hollyhill Community Garden.
Churchfield Community Trust Blackpool

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!

 

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1st in-person NeuroLandscape Workshop | Korthi-Greece | 7-9 May 2022

Natural and Cultural Heritage for Healthier and More Sustainable Urban Realms

The first, in-person scientific meeting of NeuroLandscape Team, titled "Natural and Cultural Heritage for Healthier and More Sustainable Urban Realms" took place among beautiful landscapes of the Greek island of Andros, hosted at the local Korthi Town Hall. 

The program of a 3-day event included:

SATURDAY (7.05.2022)

Time Presentation title - Speaker (Affiliation) Language
11:15 - 11:30 Welcome & Opening with Coffee GR/ENG
11:30 - 12:00 Contemplative Landscapes for Sustainable Tourism -  Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo (NeuroLandscape) ENG
12:00 - 12:30 Nature-Based Solutions for More Inclusive and Resilient Communities - Dr. Weronika Gasior (NeuroLandscape) ENG
12:30 - 13:00 A.I. Tools for Cultural Heritage and Tourism - Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis (NeuroLandscape) ENG

SUNDAY (8.05.2022)

10:00 - 10:30 Impact in Post-pandemic Times: Neuroscience to the Rescue - Dr. Nicolas Escoffier (NeuroLandscape) ENG
10:30 - 11:15 Gender Equality Plan as a necessary tool for Horizon Europe Applications - Dr. Weronika Gasior (NeuroLandscape) ENG
11:15 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00 Korthian Artists 1850-1950 - Mr. Aristeidis Mantadelis (Civil Engineer) GR/ENG
12:00 - 13:00 Can you  see what you’re looking at?: Contemplative Landscape Features Recognition and Assessment - outdoor workshop - Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo (NeuroLandscape) ENG

MONDAY (9.05.2022)

10:00 - 10:30 Dimetra - Predicting vulnerable goods disease before transportation - Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis (NeuroLandscape) ENG
10:30 - 11:15 Sustainable food systems in the EU legal framework - Ms. Aleksandra Zaborowska (Neurolandscape and EP) ENG
11:15 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00 Climate Change and Water Management - case study of Khulna, Bangladesh - Ms. Nazwa Tahsin (NeuroLandscape) ENG
12:00 - 12:30 VinhoLandscape - An Introduction to the Wines of Northern Portugal - Mr. Raul J.Guizzo (Symington Family Estates) ENG
12:30 - 13:00 Wine Tasting - workshop - Mr. Raul J.Guizzo (Symington Family Estates) ENG

NeuroLandscape Board

Annual Scientific Board Meeting 2020

4th NeuroLandscape Scientific Board Meeting took place online on Friday 13th November, 2020.

 

Meeting agenda:

1)  Round table of  updates from each member
2)  A game! -  2 truths and 1 lie
3)  "Summary of NGO activity of 2020 , opportunities for 2021 ( Agnieszka O-G & Agnieszka Ch. -10 min ppt + Q&A)
4)  "Planting seeds of empowerment - summary of activities and future plans (Diana B.  - 10 min ppt + Q&A)
5)  "Virtual Healthy Environments  - research findings  (Nicolas E. - 10 min ppt + Q&A)
6) "Virtual Healthy Environments -  communications" (Weronika G. - 10 min ppt + Q&A)
7) "Developments on CLASS" (Theophrastos M. - 10 min. ppt + Q&A)
8) Discussion topics:
    -  planning for each development of the programs
    - our activity and COVID pandemic
    - dissemination activities/ webinars/ workshops
    -  social media participation of the Board
    -  NGO & Board transformations