Skip to main content
EnglishEN
European Commission logo print header

Integrated NBS-based Urban Planning Methodology for Enhancing the Health and Well-being of Citizens: the euPOLIS Approach

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

A nature-based approach to improving city life

Urban planners and engineers are integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) to address contemporary environmental, social and economic challenges. The EU-funded EuPOLIS project will deploy natural systems to enhance public health and well-being and create resilient urban ecosystems. It will design a structured approach that integrates existing natural and engineered urban systems and define their joint social, cultural and economic effects. The project will aim to regenerate and rehabilitate urban ecosystems to create inclusive and accessible urban spaces. It will address key challenges such as low environmental quality and low biodiversity in public spaces, water-stressed resources and undervalued use of space. The project's solutions will be tested in four cities: Belgrade, Lodz, Piraeus and Gladsaxe.

Objective

EuPOLIS aims to: (a) replace the traditional perception in which engineering systems are built to protect the environment at significant costs. We aim to deploy natural systems to simultaneously enhance Public Health (PH) and Well-Being (WB), and create resilient urban ecosystems at lower Life-Cycle Costs; (b) propose a structured approach to activate the hidden possibilities and services of existing Natural and Engineered urban systems, integrate them and define their joint social, cultural and economic effects, as a main vehicle for Ecosystem Business Services and Investment; (c) regenerate and rehabilitate urban ecosystems, while in parallel addressing key challenges such as low environmental quality, fragmentation and low biodiversity in public spaces, water-stressed resources, undervalued use of space in deprived areas and therefore we improve urban livability; (d) improve urban resilience (operational, social and economic) through interventions designed using a set of proper urban planning matrices, which catalyse stakeholder participation, with a special attention to gender, age and disability perspectives within the process; (e) create inclusive and accessible urban spaces by systematically implementing gender mainstreaming strategies and novel participatory tools into all phases and processes of project development to ensure that the needs of diverse groups are considered. We aim to stimulate active communities’ participation throughout the process; (f) to improve citizens’ quality of life providing them with pleasant socializing open areas that stimulate social exchange and inclusivity; (g) monitor and validate the impact of all interventions to PH and WB of citizens. EuPOLIS solutions will be demonstrated in 4 European cities: Belgrade, Lodz, Piraeus and Gladsaxe. We have also included some follower cities (Bogota, Palermo, Limassol and Trebinje) in order to replicate and demonstrate the advantages of our innovations via mentoring and coaching.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-SC5-2018-2019-2020

See other projects for this call

Sub call

H2020-SC5-2019-2

Funding Scheme

IA - Innovation action

Coordinator

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION
Net EU contribution
€ 860 250,00
Address
Heroon polytechniou 9 zographou campus
157 80 Athina
Greece

See on map
Region
Αττική Aττική Κεντρικός Τομέας Αθηνών
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Other funding
€ 0,00

Participants (28)

Share this page

Download

EC signature date 23 April 2020
Last update: 21 September 2022

My Booklet

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/869448

European Union, 2023