Agenda INTERLACE Final Conference: Reimagining Urban Spaces: Nature-Based Solutions for Inclusive Transformations in Europe and Latin America

Time

Agenda item

9:00-9:30

Registration and Coffee

9:30-11:15

Opening session

Welcome words

• McKenna Davis (project coordinator);
• Alba Barnusell (Mayoress of the municipality of Granollers);
• Laura Palomo Rios (European Commission)
• Johannes Langemeyer (ICTA-UAB)

Keynote address:  Nature's Blueprint for Resilient Urban Futures

• (Speaker is currently being confirmed)

Reimagining urban spaces: insights and discussion session

• Marcela Gutiérrez Miranda, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica
• Doris Knoblauch, Ecologic Institute
• Isabel Melo, Humboldt Institute
• Paul Mahony, OPPLA

11:15-11:45

Coffee break

11:45-12:45

INTERLACE Open Mic!

This is your space to share your RADICAL IDEA or INSPIRING STORY, as connected to the key themes of the conference:

• Urban ecosystems restoration and nature-based solutions PLUS
• Policy, governance, planning, assessment, monitoring, innovative approaches to research design and implementation, achieving inclusion, diversity, local appropriateness, stakeholder engagement, citizen engagement, co-creation, participatory design…
• Use the registration form to submit your pitch for the short (max 4-5 minutes!) presentation

12:45-13:00

Pitches for poster session (find me at my poster!)

All participants are invited to present your ongoing/completed/idea for RESEARCH/PROJECT related to the themes of the conference  

• Urban ecosystems restoration and nature-based solutions PLUS
•  Policy, governance, planning, assessment, monitoring, innovative approaches to research design and implementation, achieving inclusion, diversity, local appropriateness, stakeholder engagement, citizen engagement, co-creation, participatory design…  
• Use the registration form to apply to present a poster - at the conference you will be asked to present the poster and a max 1 minute pitch to encourage other participants to view your poster and discuss your work!

13:00-14:15

Lunch and poster sessions

14:15-16:15

Parallel workshop sessions (please find workshop descriptions at the end of this document):

• Planning, Designing, and Monitoring of Nature-based Solutions: Guidelines to Urban Transformations (bilingual)
• Going beyond co-creation: an agile approach for research and innovation projects, placing end-users at the heart (English only)
• Adaptive Governance for Urban Nature: Lessons from Europe and Latin America (bilingual)
• Voices for Change: Granollers Communities Shaping Nature-Based Solutions (Spanish only)

16:15-17:15

Day 1 closing session

• Sandra Naumann, City of Berlin
• McKenna Davis, Benedict Bueb, Ewa Iwaszuk, Ecologic Institute

17:15-17:30

Official conference photo

17:30-19:30

Optional: Cultural activities in Roca Umbert Arts Factory (Granollers)

20:00

Networking Dinner (self paid)

Time

Agenda item

 8:30-9:00

Coffee

9:00-10:15

Opening session: fostering collaboration on NbS and urban nature across different scales

• • Fleur van Ooststroom-Brummel, European Commission
  • Juan Carlos Uribe Vega, UCLG
  • Johannes Langemeyer, ICTA-UAB
  • Nicolas Salmon, YES Innovation
  • Erika Calderon, Corredor Biologico Interurbano Maria Aguilar, Costa Rica 

10:15-10:30

Coffee break

10:30-12:15

Parallel workshop sessions (please find workshop descriptions at the end of this document):

• Fostering just co-creation of Nature-based Solutions (Spanish only)
• Engaging Communities for a More Prosperous Nature (bilingual)
• Incentivising private sector provision of NBS (English only)
• Green transformation in cities: putting the NBS into practice (bilingual)

12:15-13:30

Closing session: Looking ahead

• Xavier Romero, City of Granollers 
• McKenna Davis, Ecologic Institute
• Minu Hemmati

13:30-14:30

Lunch

14:30-17:30

Study visit: urban nature in Granollers

• Walking tour of the urban renaturalization project.
• Performative visit to the rural site of Palou - learning about activities  to promote agroecology, social and solidarity economy, the use of reclaimed water and production of local products
• Visit to the river Congost with HIDROsferes artists: opportunity to learn about river restoration and community research project about the river
• Exploring local natural heritage: visit to the cheese workshop “Caseus Afinadors”, a local product

Planning, Designing, and Monitoring of Nature-based Solutions: Guidelines to Urban Transformations

bilingual

This workshop will introduce the methodological aspects and practical applications of our newly launched guidelines on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in urban settings. The session will be structured as follows: 1. Introduction to the guidelines, outlining the methodological  approaches for planning, designing, and monitoring urban NbS; 2. Presentation of one case study, illustrating how the city has successfully applied these guidelines; and 3. Practical section in which participants will engage in a hands-on activity using hypothetical scenarios to explore how to apply the guidelines in practice.

Through this workshop participants will gain practical insights into implementing the guidelines and will have the opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions.

Going beyond co-creation: an agile approach for research and innovation projects, placing end-users at the heart

English

Focusing research projects towards actual on-the-ground impact, placing end-user needs at the heart, dealing with changing requirements, delivering useful products frequently, and keeping this all in check… Sounds almost too good, right? These are agile principles! Inspired by agile product development, we built an engine for research and innovation projects, to account for co-creation quality and fit-for-purpose at the same time.
 

Join us to exchange on your experiences with co-creation and product development, and learn more about agile in an interactive way.

Adaptive Governance for Urban Nature: Lessons from Europe and Latin America

bilingual

This workshop delves into the governance of urban nature-based solutions, integrating lessons from the INTERLACE and CONEXUS projects. Drawing from research on adaptive urban nature governance in Europe and Latin America, including the Urban Governance Atlas , this session provides actionable insights and real-world examples for developing approaches, strategies and policies that balance ecological protection with societal benefits. We will discuss different strategies for a range of processes in urban nature governance, explore the contribution of monitoring and assessment to the uptake of NBS, and examine what makes for a successful policy instrument. In a hands-on exercise with a real-world scenario, participants will have an opportunity to learn how to design a policy framework and improve and address barriers to policy implementation process through informal strategies involving various actors in different governance processes.

Voices for Change: Granollers Communities Shaping Nature-Based Solutions

Spanish

This workshop is divided into two parts: a presentation of successful community projects and a participatory exercise of exchange of experiences.

Firstly, three community projects developed in Granollers within INTERLACE will be presented with the points of view of local entities and municipal technical teams:

- La Mimosa (social and solidarity economy, and agroecology)

- HIDROsferes (community research on water resources)

- Divulga (educational programme of a secondary school on the Congost river)

This will be followed by two case studies on nature-city-people. Participants will propose in groups how they would dynamise these projects to encourage community participation, an excellent opportunity to learn strategies for citizen involvement in NbS.

Engaging Communities for a More Prosperous Nature

bilingual

The workshop "Engaging Communities for a More Prosperous Nature" aims to highlight the critical importance of nature in urban settings and inspire participants with motivational talks and practical case studies. The session will provide diverse perspectives on effective community engagement. Participants will actively collaborate in group activities to develop actionable proposals for involving different community groups in nature conservation efforts, addressing key issues, and identifying target audiences. This interactive session will equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to foster stronger community participation in urban nature initiatives, promoting a healthier and more cohesive urban environment

Fostering just co-creation in Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

Spanish

The aim of the session is to jointly reflect on justice in NbS co-creation processes, identify critical challenges, discuss successful strategies, and share lessons learned in promoting just co-creation processes. This workshop aims to foster a collaborative environment where participants can share experiences, reflect on challenges, and co-develop strategies to ensure that NbS projects and policies are just, inclusive, and beneficial for all stakeholders, especially those who are traditionally marginalized.

Incentivising private sector provision of NBS

English

Small and medium sized cities in Europe and Latin America share a common challenge in implementing nature-based solutions (NBS):  most land is in private hands. This begs the question: how can municipalities and the public sector more widely enable private sector provision of nature-based solutions? The workshop will present findings of ongoing research projects working with the topics of nature-based entrepreneurship and nature positive economy. Participants will have an opportunity to familiarise themselves and explore policy and governance instrument that encourage private sector to fund and implement green infrastructure projects in urban areas.

Green transformation in cities: putting the NBS into practice

bilingual

Several cities in Catalonia are currently implementing urban renaturation projects with the aim of making urban greenery the solution to the major urban challenges aggravated by climate change. These large-scale executive projects are supported by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU.

This workshop will present the experiences of several Catalan cities (Granollers, Lleida, Mataró, Sant Boi and Viladecans) and their most outstanding NBS interventions. At the same time, an exchange of experiences on levers, opportunities and obstacles for urban renaturation will take place.