EduNate Cities seeks to exchange ideas on how various renaturalisation options for urban and peri-urban areas can be combined with educational programmes.

Cities not only play a significant role in contributing to climate change but are also greatly impacted by it. In urban areas dominated by concrete and asphalt, rising temperatures are felt more acutely. Sustainable urban planning and climate-resilient infrastructure can help mitigate the consequences of climate change.

But is expensive, complex, and politically driven urban planning always necessary? Or are there simpler, more sustainable solutions to prepare cities for the challenges of climate change? This is the central question the partner consortium is addressing. Building on existing models, such as urban gardens or the Tiny Forest method, the project aims to identify renaturalisation opportunities, integrate them with educational initiatives, and adapt them to diverse local contexts.

"Cities are the places where the battle for sustainable development is won or lost."
– Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon’s quote underscores the crucial role of cities and urban structures in achieving sustainability. While EduNate Cities is a small exchange project, its outcomes are designed to address a variety of target groups.

The project’s collected results and experiences will be refined to align with specific local strategies. Analyses from scientific, political, and educational perspectives will further enhance the relevance of these findings for the model regions involved.

In the long term, the project, its results, the exchange of ideas, and the potential implementation of model initiatives are all geared towards engaging urban societies. A sustainable transformation can only occur with the active involvement and support of civil society as a whole.

EduNate Cities serves as a potential launchpad for promoting sustainable urban development across multiple fronts. The proposed formats are analysed from educational, scientific, and political perspectives, ensuring they are accessible and applicable to a wide range of stakeholders.

This international exchange strengthens the position of the participating organisations within their local contexts, enabling them to transfer and adapt innovative skills and models to different regions. The Vestland region (Norway), Tuscany (Italy), and the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area (Germany) each face unique challenges and require tailored approaches to achieve sustainable solutions.

A focused exchange of ideas, combined with shared expertise, will enhance European cooperation. Moreover, the European community stands to benefit from the project’s interdisciplinary approach, which integrates scientific, political, and educational perspectives. This ensures a broader and more cohesive impact for the models that will be adopted.

EduNate Cities is a dynamic exchange project with significant developmental potential, offering the opportunity to generate meaningful results throughout its implementation and beyond.