The Final Conference of the UPSURGE project, “Guiding Cities to Deliver Regenerative Urban Transformation,” brought together a wide and engaged audience eager to explore the project’s results and achievements.
From identifying key urban regeneration challenges to presenting the project’s main outcomes and practical tools for cities, the event demonstrated how nature-based innovation can be successfully scaled across Europe. Inspiring presentations and dynamic panel discussions featured representatives of the Pilot Cities, who shared their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned throughout the project.
What We Demonstrated
- Nature-based solutions deliver clear, evidence-based benefits across environmental, social, and economic dimensions — while also offering attractive opportunities for businesses.
- Social impact, co-creation, and citizen engagement, tested through the project’s innovative Place Labs approach, generate the most effective and long-lasting results.
- Digital tools play a crucial role in transforming complex data into human-centred, adaptable services that support better urban decision-making.
- The Regenerative Index and policy recommendations developed within the project provide cities with powerful instruments to drive meaningful regenerative transformation.
Despite facing diverse challenges and operating within different local contexts, the Pilot Cities achieved remarkable outcomes. Together, they delivered a strong and unified message: reconnecting cities with nature is not only necessary — it is what citizens increasingly expect from the cities of the future.
You can watch a short video relation from the conference on the Katowice City YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AaYwE09Ro. [PL]
