Due to climate change, cities increasingly face challenges such as higher temperatures, floods, and extreme weather. Therefore, it is important to adapt our living environments to this changing climate.
Greening cities seems to be the best solution. But how do we ensure that all inhabitants of a city take a profit? The JUSTGREEN project focuses on inclusive greening in European cities. Greening cities in such a way, that all inhabitants, neighborhoods and communities in need can benefit.
JUSTGREEN is a European project led by the municipality of Rotterdam from 2024 to 2028. The Erasmus University / ESSB is Advisory Partner, in collaboration with the Resilient Delta initiative.
Goals
JUSTGREEN aims to green and adapt to the changing climate for everyone in cities. Green initiatives are then not only beneficial for the environment, but are also fairly distributed throughout the city and accessible and available for everyone.
The project particularly focusses on vulnerable groups of residents and residents of less affluent neighborhoods. Inhabitants are actively involved in the fight against climate change and in the development of greening policies. In doing so, JUSTGREEN not only addresses climate problems but also improves the health and well-being of these residents. The idea is that by working together on inclusive green initiatives, we can not only improve cities but also change lives and strengthen communities.
Cities who participate in the project, have set themselves the following goals:
- Ensure a fair distribution of greening projects and greening funds.
- Involve residents affected by climate change.
- Listening to the various opinions on green and climate in the city.
Role of the EUR
With ESSB, EUR advises the various cities on their participatory methods. In addition, EUR provides a scientific method for international comparison between cities, by analyzing how different cities correspond and differ in governance, geography, population composition, climate challenges, etc. This is to ensure that a successful approach in one city, with some small adjustments can be a source of inspiration for other cities - even though the cities differ greatly from one another. Also, EUR ensures knowledge integration (between academic knowledge and practical knowledge) and facilitates the learning process from, between and with the cities about more inclusive greening.
Collaboration for Success
JUSTGREEN is a collaboration between the following European cities: Rotterdam, Burgas, Ghent, Katowice, Murcia, Tallinn, and the Regional Development Fund of Attica. The Erasmus University /ESSB is involved as Advisor Partner to the project.
More information about the project can be found on https://www.interregeurope.eu/justgreen. The JUSTGREEN project is co-financed by the Interreg Europe program of the European Union.
Contactperson EUR: dr.ir. Beitske Boonstra boonstra@essb.eur.nl