Key achievements up the end of August 2024 include:
Low-carbon cities offering a good life: The project seeks to shape low-carbon, high air-quality cities by identifying NbS potential based on their ability to address several environmental injustices simultaneously.
Justice and NbS: The analysis of NbS showed that environmental justice is often only considered peripherally, and the project aims to integrate justice into NbS more deeply. JUSTNature moved into the development and exploration of additional maps, e.g. those highlighting spatial convergence of noise and air pollution to identify related hot spots, as well as maps to identify areas at high risk of urban conversion, building on econometric models to determine the factors driving urban expansion.
Development of a Conceptual and Action Framework resulting into the method-kit JUSTPlanT: A comprehensive framework was developed focusing on ecological justice and introducing the "right to ecological space". It has been transformed into a methodological toolkit called JUSTPlanT, based on the development and testing of 3 sets of “tokens” (coin-like objects related to injustices, group inclusiveness, NbS categories) used in local stakeholder workshops to identify NbS activation potentials, together with inspiration cards to facilitate the collaborative strategic planning for ecological (space) justice.
Co-design and Co-creation: The City Practice Labs (CiPeLs) have facilitated collaborative design and creation processes for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) through a stakeholder-driven approach. Four rounds of Local Stakeholder Workshops (LSWs) were held in CiPeLs to co-identify NbS potentials, co-design interventions, and involve stakeholders in decision-making. Collaborative CiPeL Workshops (CCWs) shared insights across cities, refining NbS designs and governance to ensure they address local needs and are inclusive.
Stakeholder Involvement: Workshops and collaborative tools were developed for ecological justice planning and NbS co-design. The Consortium developed the overall strategy for stakeholder engagement, and the individual engagement plans were developed. Events with stakeholders aimed at confirming the effectiveness of the selected NbS and their design in addressing the burning questions and needs, identifying the value of NbS interventions, discussing the masterplan and further engaging defined communities of practice.
A life-cycle approach to monitoring and evaluating the activation of NbS: The newly developed life-cycle framework integrates environmental, social, and economic indicators to assess the effectiveness of NbS over time. Related monitoring systems have been deployed in the CiPeLs, using sensors and data platforms to collect real-time information on air quality, temperature, and other key environmental metrics. The collected data will be used to support decision-making and improve NbS implementation strategies.
Effective design and implementation of NbS: Concept designs for NbS were finalized, incorporating inputs from workshops and stakeholder engagements, and assessed for feasibility, economic viability, and ecological impact. An implementation framework was developed to guide cities in executing these designs within budget and timeline. Cross-learning activities facilitated the sharing of best practices and enhanced scalability. The project will now focus on scaling NbS interventions, improving monitoring systems, and refining co-governance frameworks.