With climate change intensifying the frequency and severity of urban heatwaves, Central European cities face increasing pressure to adapt. Within the GreenScape CE framework, GRÜNSTATTGRAU (Austria) contributes expertise on how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and green-blue infrastructure can transform dense urban environments into resilient and liveable spaces.
Ines Otter, expert at GRÜNSTATTGRAU, underlines the urgent need to integrate NbS into city planning. Rising temperatures turn built environments into heat traps, but vegetation and water systems – ranging from green roofs and facades to urban wetlands – offer passive cooling, improved air quality, and enhanced well-being.
This approach supports a fundamental shift in urban design: from reactive adaptation to proactive climate resilience. Through GreenScape CE, NbS models are tested in various urban contexts to assess their impact and replicability. The goal is to demonstrate how turning “grey into green” not only addresses environmental challenges but also improves the health and quality of life of urban residents.
GRÜNSTATTGRAU’s contribution is key to ensuring that sustainability and innovation go hand in hand – reimagining cities not only to withstand climate pressures, but to thrive in spite of them.