Planning Places, Shaping Futures: Co-Creating Transformative Resilience Pathways Through Strategic and Spatial Planning
25. June 14:00 - 16:30
As climate risks intensify and systemic challenges become increasingly interconnected, cities and regions across Europe are rethinking how spatial and strategic planning frameworks can catalyse transformative resilience. This interactive workshop invites practitioners, planners, policymakers, and community stakeholders to engage in a dynamic, non-presentational session where ideas and experiences are exchanged through facilitated exercises and discussions.
Participants will work in mixed groups to explore case-based scenarios where blue and green infrastructure solutions and placemaking practices intersect within planning processes. Through facilitated dialogue, mapping exercises, and peer-exchange rounds, the session will surface practical insights on integrating community priorities, ensuring multi-benefit outcomes, and navigating institutional barriers.
The workshop will conclude with a synthesis of actionable principles and takeaways for embedding integrated, community-informed spatial planning approaches into climate adaptation pathways.
Speakers
Director of Research, INRAE
Jaime Nivala, Director of Research, INRAE
Ms. Jaime Nivala, PhD, HDR is a senior scientist at INRAE (French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment), in Lyon, France in the research unit REVERSAAL. She holds a BS in Civil Engineering (University of Minnesota, USA), an MS in Environmental Engineering (University of Iowa, USA), and PhD in Biosciences (Aarhus University, Denmark). Her main research interests include nature-based solutions for water quality improvement, urban water management, and innovative approaches to water reuse. She was coordinator of the EU project MULTISOURCE (www.multisource.eu) (2021 – 2025), and co-chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control from 2020 – 2024.
Climate Risk Consultant, Haskoning
Mila van Druten, Climate Risk Consultant, Haskoning
As a climate risk consultant at Haskoning, Mila is putting her ambitions to reduce the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable communities into practice by combining social sciences and technical engineering. This resulted in the creation of the Spatial Inequality Tool (SPIN), which helps to identify how climate disasters impact people’s livelihoods. It supports the process of identifying measures to protect the most vulnerable communities in the event of flooding and other climate disasters through the lens of accessibility. [https://www.haskoning.com/en/newsroom/blogs/2025/spin-a-new-tool-to-understand-spatial-inequality]
Project Manager, City of Lviv
Iryna Vlasiuk, Project Manager, City of Lviv
Iryna is a project manager at City Institute, a municipal institution responsible for advancing the strategic development of Lviv. She manages projects focused on the Green Transition, the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthening urban resilience. Currently, she contributes to the Lviv Resilience Hub, supporting Ukrainian communities in strengthening their resilience amid wartime challenges. Iryna has a background in social sciences with a research focus on institutional resilience.
Head of Climate Policy Unit, City of Warsaw, Poland
Joanna HeyDA, Head of Climate Policy Unit, City of Warsaw, Poland
Sustainability Advisor, City of Rotterdam
eveline Bronsdijk, Sustainability Adivsior, City of Rotterdam
Eveline Bronsdijk is Sustainability Advisor at the Urban Development Department of the City of Rotterdam. She has worked on programs like Resilient Rotterdam and Rotterdam Weatherwise but mostly of the Multifunctional Roofscape Program of the city.
Moderators
Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Elena Petsani is an Urban Resilience & Sustainability Planner (MSc & MEng.). She has a strong professional background with seven years of experience in inclusive and climate-resilient urban development, sustainability strategies, policymaking, and academic research at the national and local government level. She has supported strategic urban planning and territorial development, climate adaptation policies, and spatial tools for multi-stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process. Elena is involved in EU funded projects focused on adaptation to climate change and Nature Based Solutions such as REGREEN, CARDIMED, RECREATE, MULTISOURCE, Pathways to Resilience and UP2030.