Integrated NBS Urban Planning Methodology for Enhancing the Health and Well-Being of Citizens: The euPOLIS Approach
The euPOLIS aims to improve Public Health in cities by introducing nature-based solutions into urban planning practices.
That means that our experts are taking the best from nature’s ways to regulate and improve biodiversity by incorporating various BLUE (water) and GREEN (plant life) aspects of nature into urban open spaces where it can intensify people’s wellbeing in terms of climate, ecological and socio-economic conditions. Our methodology introduces several analytical procedures making the process more transparent and open to stronger IT support. One of the specialties is the planning of urban spaces populated with vegetation with a proven beneficial impact on cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. The philosophy is deeply grounded in the extensive and permanent citizens’ participation in urban-planning processes.
Unlike the "gray" infrastructural solutions that rely on finite, unrecyclable, and more often than not, harmful materials, the NBS includes restoring and conserving natural biodiversity in the endeavor to harness rising environmental issues in urban cores.
And while the traditional approach may appear quicker to solve many of the issues, it has to be maintained and restored, again causing more damage, waste, and vast interventions. NBS has to be kept up as well, but its maintenance is way less costly in money and finite natural resources, and it’s self-sustainable to the most extent. As a plus, it is proven that staying surrounded by natural elements improves our physical and mental health, thus magnifying all our capabilities.
We believe citizens are the ultimate experts on matters of the quality of their lives.
With participation being one of the crucial pillars of the euPOLIS philosophy, the Front-Runner cities are in a constant co-creative process that puts together a team of professionals with the genuine, grounded experience and needs of local citizens. That means collecting their insights, emotions, hopes, and even psycho-physical state (through wearing special biometrical devices) and including them in the designing processes of implementing the NBS. All these steps aim to help cities embrace the transition to bottom-up decision-making methods and empower citizens to participate in inventing their public environment.
Alongside nature’s solutions being reinaugurated into urban cores, the euPOLIS uses innovative technologies to support this process:
- The myFeel application - Existing and New Functions tailored to the euPOLIS project (Sentio Labs)
- The euPOLIS BioAssist application (BioAssist)
- The Urban Water simulation tools (NTUA - UWMH Lab)
- The network of permanent sensors (Plegma)
- The euPOLIS 4D Visualisation module (GSH)
- The euPOLIS Master Planning Methodology, the GDPM (EnPlus)
- Innovative Model of Cultural - Social Community Hub (Mikser)
Integrated NBS Urban Planning Methodology for Enhancing the Health and Well-Being of Citizens: The euPOLIS Approach
The euPOLIS aims to improve Public Health in cities by introducing nature-based solutions into urban planning practices.
That means that our experts are taking the best from nature’s ways to regulate and improve biodiversity by incorporating various BLUE (water) and GREEN (plant life) aspects of nature into urban open spaces where it can intensify people’s wellbeing in terms of climate, ecological and socio-economic conditions. Our methodology introduces several analytical procedures making the process more transparent and open to stronger IT support. One of the specialties is the planning of urban spaces populated with vegetation with a proven beneficial impact on cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. The philosophy is deeply grounded in the extensive and permanent citizens’ participation in urban-planning processes.
Unlike the "gray" infrastructural solutions that rely on finite, unrecyclable, and more often than not, harmful materials, the NBS includes restoring and conserving natural biodiversity in the endeavor to harness rising environmental issues in urban cores.
And while the traditional approach may appear quicker to solve many of the issues, it has to be maintained and restored, again causing more damage, waste, and vast interventions. NBS has to be kept up as well, but its maintenance is way less costly in money and finite natural resources, and it’s self-sustainable to the most extent. As a plus, it is proven that staying surrounded by natural elements improves our physical and mental health, thus magnifying all our capabilities.
We believe citizens are the ultimate experts on matters of the quality of their lives.
With participation being one of the crucial pillars of the euPOLIS philosophy, the Front-Runner cities are in a constant co-creative process that puts together a team of professionals with the genuine, grounded experience and needs of local citizens. That means collecting their insights, emotions, hopes, and even psycho-physical state (through wearing special biometrical devices) and including them in the designing processes of implementing the NBS. All these steps aim to help cities embrace the transition to bottom-up decision-making methods and empower citizens to participate in inventing their public environment.
Alongside nature’s solutions being reinaugurated into urban cores, the euPOLIS uses innovative technologies to support this process:
- The myFeel application - Existing and New Functions tailored to the euPOLIS project (Sentio Labs)
- The euPOLIS BioAssist application (BioAssist)
- The Urban Water simulation tools (NTUA - UWMH Lab)
- The network of permanent sensors (Plegma)
- The euPOLIS 4D Visualisation module (GSH)
- The euPOLIS Master Planning Methodology, the GDPM (EnPlus)
- Innovative Model of Cultural - Social Community Hub (Mikser)
euPOLIS Cities:
euPOLIS Cities:
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euPOLIS Partners at The Verde.tec – Environmental Technologies Exhibition
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Joint Call To European Cities To Act On Improving Health And Well-being
The euPOLIS and its sister projects, IN-HABIT, VARCITIES, and GoGreenRoutes, are committed to achieving a series of visionary solutions to promote health and well-being in urban environments, by establishing sustainable and inclusive models for increasing the health and well-being of citizens exposed to different climatic…
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NetworkNature Taskforces Cluster Meeting and Annual Event
The NetworkNature Taskforces Cluster Meeting of 7th June will aim at showcasing the main results, tools, and products from the Taskforces, as well as from the NBS projects, enabling exchanges and dialogues on how projects’ experiences and results can be strengthened and directed towards better…
Plenary Meeting + Expert Training by The euPOLIS Team
The fifth plenary meeting of the euPOLIS project consortium took place in early May in Gladsaxe, near Copenhagen. All partners’ representatives gathered to evaluate the so far road taken, mark the milestones, and debate on future steps on all project’s aspects: technological, social, economic, cultural,…
“Tour de Bogotá” – A Six-Kilometer euPOLIS Bicycle Ride
Our Colombian partner, the Follower City of Bogotá recently held an interactive demonstration of the euPOLIS methodology, by engaging professionals and citizens in an immersive sports, cultural and educational event, the Rodada euPOLIS bike ride. The “Tour de Bogotá” ride was organized by the ERU’s…
euPOLIS Partners at The Verde.tec – Environmental Technologies Exhibition
Verde.tec – Environmental Technologies Exhibition, one of Greece’s most important environmental technologies events that explores a wide range of topics on energy, the circular economy, and smart cities, took place from 17-19 March in Athens at the MEC. Our partners visited the exhibition and presented…
euPOLIS in Trebinje
As part of the implementation of the project activities of the euPOLIS project, a lecture was held in the assembly hall of the city administration of Trebinje on the topic “Integral improvement of the environment for the needs of innovative economic development of the city…
Joint Call To European Cities To Act On Improving Health And Well-being
The euPOLIS and its sister projects, IN-HABIT, VARCITIES, and GoGreenRoutes, are committed to achieving a series of visionary solutions to promote health and well-being in urban environments, by establishing sustainable and inclusive models for increasing the health and well-being of citizens exposed to different climatic…