UPSURGE

Nature-based solutions (NBS) address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, providing benefits to human well-being and biodiversity. NBS and sustainable land management activities can provide governments with effective, long-term and cost-efficient measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, opportunities for active and healthy living, increase self-sufficiency and provide recarbonisation of the soil through nature-based negative emission technologies.

The overall concept of the UPSURGE project – financed by the Horizon2020 programme – is to research, co-create, comparatively test, measure and digitalise NBS interventions and their effects in different cities. The project  will gain enough validated knowledge to bridge the gaps currently hindering wider implementation of NBS in Europe, particularly in cities. The project aims to create an NBS reference framework to be transposed into an initiative called the European Regenerative Urban Lighthouse: this Lighthouse will serve to assist and consult cities in targeted NBS implementation. The effectiveness of the Lighthouse will be tested in 5 pilot cities (Belfast, Breda, Budapest, Maribor, Katowice) implementing various NBS in light of their particular social, cultural and environmental contexts.

UPSURGE is introducing a novel approach on how to use NBS for maximum improvement of air quality in the locations of their implementation.