On 5 February in Brussels, the Final Conference of the GreenScape CE project brought together cities, practitioners, researchers and EU institutions to reflect on how nature-based solutions (NbS) can move beyond isolated pilot actions and become a structural component of urban planning and cohesion policy in Central Europe. Organised within the framework of the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, the event marked a key moment for taking stock of lessons learned and discussing how to scale up climate adaptation efforts in urban areas increasingly exposed to environmental risks, health pressures and demographic change.
Throughout the conference, a shared understanding emerged: urban areas are on the frontline of climate change, and nature-based solutions must be treated as a strategic response rather than an optional add-on. Speakers consistently highlighted the need to recognise NbS as core urban infrastructure, capable of delivering multiple long-term benefits — from flood prevention and heat mitigation to improved public health and social wellbeing — when embedded into planning, investment and governance frameworks.
This perspective was reinforced by contributions from EU-level representatives and local authorities alike, who stressed that climate adaptation is no longer the responsibility of a single “green” department. Instead, it requires cross-sectoral coordination, political ownership and a shared narrative that connects environmental objectives with mobility, public space, health and social inclusion. In this sense, the conference programme reflected a growing maturity in how cities approach climate resilience, moving from sectoral experimentation to integrated urban strategies.
A central theme running through the discussions was the importance of transnational cooperation. Within the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE context, cooperation was repeatedly framed not as a supplementary value, but as a necessary condition for addressing complex challenges such as climate change. By enabling comparison across territories, sharing evidence and aligning methodologies, cooperation allows successful approaches to be transferred, adapted and sustained beyond individual project lifecycles.
The GreenScape CE project offered concrete examples of how this transition from pilots to systemic change can be supported in practice. Particular attention was given to the role of analytical and decision-support tools, such as the project’s visual mapping platform, designed to support evidence-based planning of nature-based solutions. By integrating spatial, climate, health and demographic data into an accessible interface, the platform helps local authorities, planners and citizens navigate complexity and embed NbS into everyday decision-making processes.
At the same time, the conference placed strong emphasis on meaningful citizen participation as a cornerstone of successful urban greening. Experiences shared by project partners illustrated how co-creation processes, hackathons and awareness-raising tools can empower residents to engage with urban nature and contribute local knowledge that complements technical expertise. Participation was presented not only as a democratic principle, but as a practical asset that strengthens the relevance, acceptance and long-term impact of NbS interventions — an approach strongly aligned with the contribution of ALDA+ within the project.
Scaling nature-based solutions requires treating urban greening as a shared responsibility, combining technical expertise, political commitment and meaningful citizen participation
Looking ahead, several interventions underlined that mainstreaming nature-based solutions also depends on skills development and workforce upskilling. The emergence of new professional profiles, such as climate-resilient urban greening specialists, was highlighted as a key enabler for ensuring that NbS can be properly designed, implemented and maintained over time. Investing in skills was presented as an essential step towards making urban greening “business as usual”, rather than a series of short-term initiatives.
The conference also addressed the persistent challenges linked to financing and governance. Discussions pointed to the need for clearer business models, blended public–private funding and stronger political backing to ensure that proven solutions can inform wider investment strategies, including cohesion policy and EU climate adaptation frameworks. Without appropriate financial structures and institutional anchoring, speakers warned, the risk remains that successful pilots fail to reach the scale required to generate systemic change.
These reflections converged in the final roundtable discussion, which focused explicitly on how to move from pilots to policy. Participants agreed that scaling up nature-based solutions requires not only technical evidence, but also governance models capable of bridging local, regional and European levels. Strong leadership, policy coherence and capitalisation of project results were identified as decisive factors for ensuring that investments in urban nature are not lost, but instead become an integral part of long-term development strategies.
The GreenScape CE Final Conference concluded with a forward-looking reflection on the project’s legacy. Beyond its pilots, tools and methodologies, GreenScape CE has contributed to a broader shift in how cities across Central Europe conceive and govern urban nature. By connecting cooperation, participation, skills and finance, the project offers a transferable pathway for turning climate ambition into durable and inclusive urban transformation.