Following the implementation of three pilot actions, experts have developed a set of guidelines for setting up the Urban Living Labs, created through an iterative process. These guidelines foster a co-creation environment, enabling collaboration among multiple actors and stakeholders and supporting the multifunctional assessment of nature-based solutions. This approach ensures that local communities and stakeholders are part of the solution from the very beginning, working together to create greener, more resilient urban environments.

In five different "model regions" across Europe, the CONE project is putting its ideas into practice. In the Living Labs three key solutions are tested: • Rainwater Management: Using natural systems to prevent flooding and manage storm runoff. • Heat Stress Reduction: Creating green spaces that naturally cool down neighborhoods during hot weather. • River Basin Management: Implementing solutions to protect and restore local waterways. The findings from these pilot projects are all documented in detailed reports, complete with participants lists, photos and videos, to help share experiences and support knowledge exchange.

To make these solutions easily accessible, the CONE project has developed a series of practical manuals for each pilot action. These guides offer step-by-step procedures and highlight the best nature-based solutions, identified in each context-based Living Lab. A key feature of these solutions is their multifunctionality, meaning a single green intervention can contribute to more than one challenge.

The project is also developing a long-term approach through a joint Urban Greening Plan Strategy for small and medium-sized cities across Central Europe. Building on the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the strategy will help local authorities bring nature and green spaces more fully into urban and spatial planning. By engaging policymakers and other key stakeholders, the project aims to support better policies, the exchange of knowledge and experience, and lasting changes in the way nature-based solutions are used in cities. At the same time, it seeks to remove some of the barriers that prevent citizens from becoming more actively involved in decisions on issues that affect their everyday lives, including climate change mitigation and adaptation. The CONE project shows how international cooperation, knowledge sharing and active community involvement can lead to practical and lasting improvements in our cities. Healthier and more resilient urban areas are not created only through major European strategies, but also through the changes made in our streets, parks and public spaces.