On the 20th and 21st of September 2018, the URBAN GreenUP Frontrunner city of Izmir hosted four co-design workshops focusing on some of the Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to be locally implemented. The event was organised by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality together with students and professors from the Ege University, the Izmir Institute of Technology, the Dokuz Eylul University, the Izmir University of Economics, the Yaşar University and experts from Demir Energy.
The workshops took place at the Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) and involved approximately 80 among architects, industrial designers, landscape architects and city and regional planners.
The four workshops were named after the considered class of NBS: Pollinator’s House, Green Covering Shelter, Green Resting Unit and Parklets. Participants designed and produced projects and models in two days by using machines and tools in FabLab. Some of the products from the workshops, such as the pollinator’s houses, will be used as part of the interventions implemented within URBAN GreenUP.
The workshop was a successful example of effective co-design and engagement campaigns. Public participation and collaboration with professionals are key ingredients to boost the acceptance of revolutionary interventions such as NBS, hence paving the way to greater impacts and more sustainable cities.