During the first 18 months, all 5 model regions – Emilia-Romagna (IT), Lower Austria (AT), Zagreb & Krapina-Zagorje (HR), Skåne (SE), and Funen (DK) – achieved their expected objectives. They mapped governance systems and stakeholder networks for climate change adaptation, assessed climate risks, defined regional priorities and visions, and launched the first round of co-innovation labs. These labs address climate challenges through the design, testing, and implementation of NbS, while engaging local stakeholders and citizens. Key achievements include:
-ER: Development of advanced modelling to evaluate effects of sustainable forest management on ecosystem services, including slope stabilisation, hydrogeological risk reduction, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection
-LA: Launch of labs on agricultural land-use planning, hedgerows, and climate-resilient business parks, supported by strong stakeholder alliances and governance structures
-KZZ: Co-innovation labs addressing hazards such as urban heat, floods, landslides, and green infrastructure connectivity, focusing on blue-green infrastructure restoration in Zagreb, and slope stabilisation and biodiversity in Krapina-Zagorje
-Skåne: A comprehensive NbS strategy with the Malmö Urban Landscape Lab in an old industrial harbour, plus labs on water governance and agricultural adaptation. Insights will feed into Skåne’s Regional Master Plan, showing how NbS can be mainstreamed in spatial planning
-Funen: First lab focused on an action plan for urban water management in Odense Municipality and sub-projects for Vollsmose. Sustainable urban drainage systems with NbS are the focus of next labs
Fellow regions – Plovdiv (BG), Centru (RO), and Podravje (SI) – mobilised stakeholder networks across the quadruple helix, with twinning activities linking them to model regions.
Across regions, citizens were engaged through deliberative processes, workshops, hackathons, and climathons.
Scientific partners supported regions with tailored tools such as the ARCADIA Scorecard for transformational readiness, a Guide of guidances to choose NbS and Blue-Green Infrastructure, and a framework for integrating justice and equity into NbS design and implementation; a Climate Risk Assessment toolkit is also at an advanced stage.
At the consortium level, integration and knowledge exchange were pursued, communication and dissemination frameworks established, and robust governance, quality control, and ethical and data management plans adopted.
