URBiNAT focuses on the regeneration and integration of deprived social housing urban developments through an innovative and inclusive catalogue of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), ensuring sustainability and mobilising driving forces for social cohesion.

Interventions focus on the public space to co-create with citizens new urban, social and nature-based relations within and between different neighbourhoods. Taking the full physical, mental and social well-being of citizens as its main goal, URBiNAT aims to co-plan a healthy corridor as an innovative and flexible NBS, which itself integrates a large number of micro NBS emerging from community-driven design processes.

URBiNAT consists of a worldwide consortium of academic and business partners around 7 European cities (Porto, Nantes and Sofia as ‘frontrunners’; Siena, Nova Gorica, Brussels and Høje-Taastrup as followers), that will act as living laboratories to implement healthy corridor solutions. The cities will be supported by local partners, associations and research centres, and by Europe-wide centres, universities and companies. 

These will develop a participatory process, an NBS catalogue and a healthy corridor, while monitoring impacts, disseminating and marketing results. Together, they form an inclusive community of practice (CoP), collaborating with partners from Iran and China, and NBS observers located in Brazil, Oman, Japan and a Chinese city, bringing experiences and an international dimension to the project.

Partners will contribute their innovative NBS experience deployed through an array of transdisciplinary knowledge, methodologies and tools, as nature-based solutions. This will be supplmented by ‘smart’ digital tools, citizen engagement, solidarity and social economy initiatives, social innovation for value-generation, incubation for business development and capacity building, and ICT governance platforms. The social, economic and urban impacts will be measured and replicated by URBiNAT Observatory.

Partners

• CENTRO DE ESTUDOS SOCIAIS
• ICETA INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS, TECNOLOGIAS E AGROAMBIENTE DA UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO 
• MUNICIPIO DO PORTO
• CMPH - DOMUSSOCIAL - EMPRESA DE HABITACAO E MANUTENCAO DO MUNICIPIO DO PORTO
• ITEMS INTERNATIONAL SARL
• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
• UNIVERSITE GUSTAVE EIFFEL
• INSTITUT NATIONAL D'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
• NANTES UNIVERSITE
• NANTES METROPOLE
• COMMUNE DE NANTES
• UNIVERSITET PO ARCHITEKTURA STROITELSTVO I GEODEZIJA
• STOLICHNA OBSHTINA
• LIBERA UNIVERSITA DI LINGUE E COMUNICAZIONE IULM
• FONDAZIONE GIANGIACOMO FELTRINELLI
• COMUNE DI SIENA
• UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
• VILLE DE BRUXELLES
• UNIVERZA V NOVI GORICI
• MESTNA OBCINA NOVA GORICA
• TEKNOLOGISK INSTITUT
• HOJE-TAASTRUP KOMMUNE
• SLA AS
• CITY FACILITATORS APS
• FORENINGEN IKED
• INSTITUT D'ARQUITECTURA AVANCADA DE CATALUNYA
• TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE OSTWESTFALEN-LIPPE
• GIVE U DESIGN ART LDA
• UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
• NEW GROWING SYSTEMS SL
• IRAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRIES, MINES AND AGRICULTURE
• LORESTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRIES MINES AND AGRICULTURE
• CHINA SMART CITY PLANNING & DESIGN RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO
• ASSOCIACAO BIOPOLIS

Start date: 1 June 2018 - End date: 30 November 2023