Dear Reader,
COVID is still circulating among us and I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy! Our project URBAN GreenUP has also been impacted, but I am pleased to say that in the past months we've managed to achieve a lot.
Our Frontrunner cities continue to implement the Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). In Valladolid a green roof and a green façade have been installed at the El Campillo Marketplace and at an El Corte Ingles department store, respectively, and a green shelter now covers the market in the Plaza España. In Liverpool, mobile forest and floating gardens in Sefton Park Lake and Wapping Dock have been installed. Likewise, the urban catchment forestry and pollinator in the St Johns Shopping and Parr Street. In Izmir, an ecological corridor has been built in a large, dedicated green area to reunite the city with nature. Furthermore, a smart greenhouse has been set up to promote the NBS in an urban context.
As physical events are not possible yet, we are mainly spreading the voice on URBAN GreenUP online. For example, we have successfully concluded our first two public webinars! The first focused on Vertical Greening with stories from Valladolid and Singapore. The second, co-organized with our fellow projects UNaLab and Connecting Nature, focused on Floating Gardens with stories from Liverpool and Chicago. The next webinar, on green parklets, will be on April 29 and we will be telling stories about Izmir and San Francisco. So, stay tuned for more details and the link to register!
If you are interested in the most academic and technical aspects of URBAN GreenUP, I also invite you to check our latest scientific papers.
Meanwhile our network of cities keeps growing. It is always open and if your city is interested in joining, please contact us! Together we can welcome nature back into our cities with renaturing urban plans and nature-based solutions.
Now let’s have a detailed look at what happened in the last months!
Best wishes and stay safe!
Raúl Sánchez
URBAN GreenUP coordinator
CARTIF Technology Center