Collaborate, Educate, Transform: Building the Future of Nature-Based Solutions in Cities
26. June 15:15 - 17:00
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognised as key and multi-functional measures to increase resilience to climate change. Yet, mainstreaming these solutions into policy and practice requires building capacity across all segments of society—from the public administration to the private sector and local communities.
This dynamic session will empower city representatives and local policymakers to accelerate the integration of NbS into urban resilience strategies through education and capacity-building. Participants will engage in interactive discussions, delving into capacity-building approaches, and exploring real-world case studies of cities that have successfully incorporated NbS into their resilience planning.
Through interactive discussions, we will dive into key areas such as education and awareness, policy and governance, and partnership and collaboration. Each conversation will offer practical strategies for overcoming barriers, mainstreaming NbS within policy frameworks, and strengthening institutional capacity.
To conclude, participants will reflect on actionable commitments, sharing specific steps they will take to bring NbS into their work. Examples may include joining relevant task forces, signing up for capacity building programmes and attending webinars, or engaging with local councils. The session will close with a wrap-up of key insights and next steps, ensuring everyone leaves with clear, practical ideas for advancing NbS in their cities.
Speakers
Strategic Planning Coordinator, Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS
Ana Mitić-Radulović, Strategic Planning Coordinator, Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies - CEUS
Ana is a licensed architect and urban planning professional from Serbia, with M.Sc. degree in International Cooperation and Urban Development (Technical University Darmstadt) and MA in Development Economics and International Co-operation (University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’). As an architect, she worked in Spain (urban plans of special heritage protection), Serbia and Cyprus (project of the New Nicosia Town Hall Complex). In the field of urban development and sustainable mobility, she worked on FP7 projects with ISINNOVA – Italy, on IPA projects for the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, and has worked on GEF, EU and UNV funded project with UNDP Serbia, addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction and circular economy. At CEUS, Ana has been leading local implementation of NBS-related Horizon 2020 project CLEVER Cities, and Horizon Europe projects NBS EduWORLD, UNP+, SMILE City and ClimaGen.
Research Manager, PPMI
Eleonora Lekavičiūtė, Research Manager, PPMI
Eleonora Lekavičiūtė is a senior researcher at the Public Policy and Management Institute (PPMI, part of the Verian group) and a project specialist at Kaunas University of Technology. Her work focuses on EU policy in the areas of sustainability education, green skills, and Nature-based Solutions. Previously, Eleonora worked on sustainability in the public sector, leading Lithuania’s integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into long-term national planning, including socioeconomic, territorial, and urban development strategies. Eleonora holds a BA in International Relations from Brown University and an MSc in Carbon Management from the University of Edinburgh.
Head of the Climate and Environment Unit, Wroclaw Municipality
Malgorzata Bartyna-Zielinska, Head of the Climate and Environment Unit, Wroclaw Municipality
Malgorzata Bartyna-Zielinska completed her doctorate at the Faculty of Architecture, Wroclaw University of Technology. Her research focused on the role of NBS in spatial planning documents. Professionally associated with the Wroclaw Municipality, for eleven years an urban planner in the Wroclaw Development Office, since June 2017 in the Sustainable Development Department as a project manager and head of a climate and environment unit.
Researcher, National Research Council - CNR
Gregorio Sgrigna, Researcher, National Research Council - CNR
Gregorio Sgrigna: Research technologist at CNR-IRET. He has been actively involved in national and international projects on Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem services, including Horizon, COST-Action, and PRIN. His work focuses on NbS, especially urban forests for air quality. He studies particulate matter (PM) on leaves using electron microscopy. As a member of the NbS Italy Hub coordination group, he supports national networking and integration of NbS. He also contributes to FAIR-enabling practices for environmental data within environmental research infrastructures.
”https://www.scientix.eu/resources/knowledge/stem-job-profiles/profile?id=1917967”
Senior Expert in NbS and Biodiversity, ICLEI Europe
SHreya Utkarsh, Senior Expert in nbs and Biodiversity, ICLEI europe
Shreya Utkarsh is a Senior Expert at ICLEI Europe in the field of Biodiversity and Nature based solutions. With expertise in governance, co-creation and stakeholder engagement practices, she has worked with several EU projects and lead work on NbS with connections to health, education as well as resilience.
DG CLIMA, European Commission
IRene Bonvissuto, DG CLIMA, European Commission
An environmental engineer as background, Irene leads the European Commission Team that implements the EU Adaptation to Climate Change Mission, bringing together resources from the Climate Action and the Research and Innovation departments. Before, she worked in the energ field, both on the policy side and on the programmes and projects implementation side, to increase renewable energies uptake in Europe and their effective integration of the renewable sources in the European electricity system.
Ecole du Breuil, Director of Development, City of Paris School of Horticulture and Landscaping
Marie Monjauze, Director of Development, Ecole du Breuil, City of Paris School of Horticulture and Landscaping
From urban innovation to green education, she leads transformative projects shaping a more resilient and sustainable Paris in collaboration with public and private stakeholders in the region. As Director of Development at the Ecole Du Breuil (https://www.ecoledubreuil.fr/) which is Paris School of Nature in the City, she supports the transformation of training programs for plant engineering careers to renovate and build the city of tomorrow.
Moderator
Senior Expert in Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions, ICLEI Europe
Paola Lepori, Senior Expert in Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions, ICLEI Europe
Paola Lepori is a Senior Expert in Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions at ICLEI Europe, based in Brussels. She works at the intersection of policy, science, and practice, bridging policy-making with impactful local action, and promoting the vital role of local and regional governments in advancing sustainable development, for both people and nature. Paola is currently involved in several EU-funded NbS projects, including NetworkNature.
Her core professional objective is to build alliances that drive transformative change towards an inclusive, nature-positive future.
Prior to joining ICLEI, Paola worked for nearly 8 years at the European Commission in communication and policy roles. Most recently, she worked at the science-policy interface, promoting the mainstreaming of biodiversity considerations and NbS across policy domains. Before joining the Commission, Paola worked as a writer and editor for international relations newspapers in Italy.