Last week technical experts and city representatives met together at CETIM Technological Centre to discuss findings, weigh factors for design, and identify challenges and potential innovations for pilots in NICE Urban Real Lab (URLs) cities. The meeting was a great success and served as an opportunity to explore synergies and identify next steps in the implementation of nature based solutions for circular water. Participants were delighted to convene, one year after the project’s establishment, in A Coruña (Spain) to discuss plans for the implementation of nature-based solutions for a more sustainable water cycle in 11 cities around the EU, Colombia and Egypt:

• Vigo, Talavera, Algeciras, Benalmádena, Madrid (all in Spain)
• Lyon (France)
• Turin (Italy)
• Aarhus (Denmark)
• Gdansk (Poland)
• Cairo (Egypt)
• Pereira (Colombia) 

The meeting opened with thoughtful reflection on historical context of NBS policy and the implications of more recent developments in the greater NBS policy landscape, such as the European Green Deal, the UNEA Resolution on NBS, EU Restoration Law, Urban Greening Plans and Biodiversity partnerships. All these policies apply to nature based solutions and water policy, playing a unique part in aligning and acheiving goals for climate change mitigation, pollution reduction and more among urban and regional stakeholders.

Urban policies in cities also help to spread knowledge and build capacities in cities to implement green solutions. NICE recognises its role as a potential bridge between the realms of technical scientific exploration of nature based solutions in water and the world of policy implementation. The work of NICE experts spans across a wide spectrum of innovation such as innovations for grey water treatment including green walls, green roofs, research and development for rain gardens and constructed wetlands; modeling; life cycle analysis; NBS design; risk analysis and ways to use created knowledge in business settings. These very different but interconnected areas together make up the body of work necessary to create effective, innovative and impactful nature based solutions in the Urban Real Lab Cities. 

Moving forth, the NICE Urban Real Lab Cities are also engaging with local stakeholders to imagine and shape how nature based solutions can be created to address their unique local needs and regional contexts. In NICE, the consortium is assembled from multiple continents, sectors of work and expertise, and across generations. Experts and involved stakeholders are working diligently to innovate jointly on circular water solutions and translate these findings into tangible impacts for citizens in those communities. The NICE Cities Panel is also one of many taskforces helping to connect municipalities together to innovate on circular water in cities.

 To learn more about the Urban Real Lab cities involved in cutting-edge circular water pilots, visit our website here.