Nature-based solutions breathing LIFE into our urban environments

What do Zagreb, Ljubljana and Helsinki have in common? Trees, and beautiful urban greenery within their built environments. They are Europe’s greenest cities. In science and policy, access to Mother Nature is being recognised as a health and wellbeing boost – especially for children, elderly people and communities with lower incomes. Initiatives like the New European Bauhaus are transforming Europe’s urban jungles into beautiful, sustainable, inclusive and green spaces. And in Spain, Italy, Hungary and Ukraine, four LIFE projects, under the LIFE Bauhaus label, are playing their part.   

When we talk about green walls, perhaps Milan’s iconic Bosco Verticale comes to mind. Not only are such buildings, green walls, roofs and facades very aesthetically pleasing, but they also contribute significantly to the environmental health of their surroundings. Known as Building-Integrated-Greenery (BIG), these systems of integrating vegetation and nature into buildings provide cooling, air purification, noise reduction and save water. This is the approach of BIG4LIFE led by the University of Lleida, which focuses on greening three cities: Lleida and Barcelona, Spain; Genoa, Italy; and Patras, Greece. The project is encouraging the adoption of ‘xeriscaping’ techniques, which create landscapes that reduce or eliminate the need for intense irrigation. Xeriscaping allows green spaces to thrive in urban settings, for example replacing thirsty grassy lawns with rocks, soil, and climate- or drought-tolerant, native species and using dripping hoses instead of sprinklers. This is crucial in these Mediterranean cities sweltering under increasing temperatures and pressure on water resources, such as Barcelona where the mercury hit 40 degrees Celsius this summer.  

In such temperatures, the impact of heat reflecting off concrete feels suffocating. LIFE Be-WoodEN is choosing wood and bio-based materials as an alternative for construction. Using wood instead of other construction materials reduces carbon emissions and encourages sustainable tree planting. Particularly focusing on wood construction of social housing in Italy, this project aims to increase knowledge and skills, test innovative training methods and demonstrate pilot projects. The target audience includes architects, technicians, building managers, companies and public officers. Learnings are being shared through a NEB Academy Pioneer Hub to show how wood, once an infrastructure material of the past, is part of our future.  

When wood is recycled, it can be made into particle boards. Alongside compressed straw, these bio-based materials are being used for insulation in Ukraine. 85% of housing in Ukraine have low quality or no energy efficiency standards. LIFE Panelka 2.0 is renovating such buildings, known as ‘Panelka’, by encouraging circular economy principles and retrofitting. One particular Panelka building in Chernihiv is the pilot project, and from design to implementation, its inhabitants have been involved every step of the way. Community management and capacity building is key to Ukraine’s reconstruction. And this sense of community can be seen in the wider project; examples of prefabrication and bio-based materials used in Estonia are being adapted for Ukraine.   

Social innovation and community involvement on local levels are also at the core of LIFE SeedNEB. In three municipalities – Lorqui (Spain), Potenza (Italy) and Dunaùjvàros (Hungary) – nature is coming alive across public and private buildings, and urban open spaces. The project is looking at nature-based solutions that particularly focus on tackling biodiversity loss, as well as bringing a swathe of benefits including the reduction of air pollution, noise levels, soil degradation and water resource consumption. The new spaces in the three cities will involve communities to shape the green future of their neighbourhoods.  

Besides, the New European Bauhaus, the four LIFE projects featured align to other EU Directives and policies including: Habitats Directive; EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains; and Cleaner Air Quality Directive. The projects offer a holistic approach to issues related to living, housing, sustainability and inclusion.  

The 2024 LIFE Call for Proposals for Bauhaus projects has a total budget of €8 million and is open until 19 September 2024. Submit proposals via the portal.