On 10 February 2026 in Katowice, Poland, the UPSURGE consortium will host its Final Conference, Guiding Cities to Deliver Regenerative Urban Transformation, showcasing the innovations, tools, best practices, and lessons learned developed throughout the project to accelerate regenerative urban transformation across European cities.
Organised as hybrid, the event will bring together policymakers, urban practitioners, researchers, and city leaders to reflect on UPSURGE’s results and discuss how they can support the next generation of nature-based, climate-positive and socially-relevant urban solutions.
What to Expect
During the conference, UPSURGE partners and invited experts will present:
- Innovative approaches to Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) tested in the five UPSURGE demo cities: Belfast, Breda, Budapest, Katowice, and Maribor.
- Best practices for co-creation, community engagement, and multi-level governance.
- Digital tools, decision-support systems, and analytics for planning and monitoring the effectiveness of NBS interventions.
- Scalable models for regenerative urban planning that can be applied across Europe.
- Policy-relevant insights on enabling frameworks and standards for nature-positive city transitions.
The event will also serve to launch the UrbanByNature Platform, a new hub providing advisory and training services to help cities mainstream Nature-Based Solutions into local policies and practices.
Who Should Attend – and Why
This event is designed for:
- City officials and urban planners seeking practical tools and proven approaches to implementing NBS at scale.
- Environmental policymakers and EU-level stakeholders interested in evidence supporting regulatory frameworks for nature-positive transformation.
- Researchers and innovators exploring cutting-edge methods for monitoring, modelling, and evaluating regenerative interventions.
- Civil society organisations and community practitioners involved in co-creation and participatory urban development.
- Urban developers, architects, and landscape designers aiming to integrate NBS into long-term planning and investment strategies.
Participants will gain exclusive insights into UPSURGE’s real-world demonstrations, access ready-to-use tools, and connect with a European network shaping the future of regenerative, climate-resilient cities.
Why Now? – Policy Context
The conference comes at a pivotal moment for EU urban policy. With the European Green Deal, the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and the Nature Restoration Law, cities face rising expectations to deliver systemic, nature-based, and regenerative transformations.
UPSURGE’s final results provide practical, evidence-based pathways to help cities meet these ambitions—bridging the gap between high-level policy goals and on-the-ground implementation.
Be Part of the Conversation
Save the date and join us as we explore how UPSURGE innovations can support greener, healthier, and more resilient cities, and how urban stakeholders can build on these outcomes beyond the project’s completion. Agenda and registration fill follow shortly.