Hamburg, London and Milan are making nature-based interventions in key districts of their cities for urban regeneration. Through exchange between cities, inclusive collaboration and multi-disciplinary learning, the CLEVER Cities project aims to drive a new kind of nature-based urban transformation for sustainable and socially inclusive cities across Europe, Latin America and China.

Urban nature improves the environment, creates economic opportunities and makes cities healthier places to live. Green spaces also bring people together, which makes our communities more resilient, as well as boosting urban resilience to climate change.

Local teams including citizens, businesses, knowledge partners and local authorities have been formed in Hamburg, London and Milan. This collaborative structure will ensure that the urban transformation process is open, inclusive and tailored to local needs.

Belgrade, Larissa, Madrid, Malmö, Sfântu Gheorghe and Quito share and learn with London, Hamburg and Milan on how to adapt nature-based interventions for the needs of towns and cities around the world.

We build on local capacities, expertise and potential to generate innovation and to develop new future-proof governance, financing and business models for sustainable prosperity.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) means planning and designing natural features, such as trees, plants and green spaces, in a way that can help address urban challenges.

With three quarters of the European Union’s population living in cities, and deprived areas of those cities often lacking in quality green spaces, CLEVER Cities intends to position nature-based solutions as a means to improving public health, social cohesion, citizen security and increasing economic opportunities in those areas.

Objectives

CLEVER Cities aim to:

• increase and improve local knowledge of nature-based solutions,
• demonstrate that greener cities work better for people and communities,
• contribute data and information to EU policy-making, and ultimately
• promote and enable the uptake of nature-based solutions in urban planning world-wide.

Partners

• FREIE UND HANSESTADT HAMBURG
• GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY
• COMUNE DI MILANO
• AGENZIA MOBILITA' AMBIENTE E TERRITORIO SRL
• GRAD BEOGRAD
• DIMOS LARISEON
• AYUNTAMIENTO DE MADRID
• MALMO STAD
• MUNICIPIUL SFANTU GHEORGHE
• FONDO AMBIENTAL
• SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE ELIANTE ONLUS
• FONDAZIONE POLITECNICO DI MILANO
• POLITECNICO DI MILANO
• GROUNDWORK LONDON
• S T E G STADTERNEUERUNGS- UND STADTENTWICKLUNGSGESELLSCHAFT HAMBURG MBH
• WWF ITALIA
• CENTRE FOR EXPERIMENTS IN URBAN STUDIES - CEUS
• AGENTIA PENTRU PROTECTIA MEDIULUI COVASNA
• THE YOUNG FOUNDATION LBG
• PEABODY TRUST
• RETE FERROVIARIA ITALIANA
• ITALFERR SPA
• SOCIAL FINANCE LIMITED
• YEPEZSALMON YEPEZ SALMON ASOCIADOSSA
• GREEN4CITIES GMBH
• HAFENCITY UNIVERSITAT HAMBURG
• HAMBURGISCHES WELTWIRTSCHAFTSINSTITUT GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBH
• TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT HAMBURG
• ECOLOGIC INSTITUT gemeinnützige GmbH
• FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION
• UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM ESSEN
• EUROPEAN BUSINESS AND INNOVATION CENTRE NETWORK AISBL
• ICLEI EUROPEAN SECRETARIAT GMBH (ICLEI EUROPASEKRETARIAT GMBH)
• ICLEI - LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY EV
• AMBIENTE ITALIA SRL
• UMWELTBUNDESAMT GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG (UBA GMBH)
• XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY

Start date: 1 June 2018 - End date: 31 May 2023