As European cities grapple with the whirlwind of urbanization, social upheaval, economic shifts, and climate crises, one thing is clear: the future of our cities depends on more than just economic calculations. In Lodz, Poland, the euPOLIS project is pioneering a new era of urban planning, one that puts the needs and voices of local communities at its core. By harnessing the power of nature-based solutions and community engagement, euPOLIS is transforming urban landscapes and forging a new bond of trust between residents and local authorities.

Eager to deliver a people-friendly change, the euPOLIS project is developing a spatial planning methodology using nature-based solutions (NBS). It assumes the synergy of a people/health-focused approach with the significant environmental and economic benefits of ecological blue-green solutions.

Photos: City of Lodz Office

Harnessing Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Cities

The euPOLIS project aims to replace or combine traditional, costly engineering systems designed to protect the environment with natural systems to create resilient urban ecosystems while improving the quality of life for residents. The project responds to critical challenges such as poor environmental quality and low biodiversity in public spaces and water resources, high air pollution in the urbanized center, water shortage, soil degradation, heat waves, and the occurrence of the heat island effect, which a growing number of cities are facing, especially those with high housing density and lack of access to green spaces in city centers.

The basis for deciding on specific nature-based solutions (NBS), for us, was primarily the conditions of the demonstration site, the analysis of the initial state with the expected end state, as well as the opinions of the residents of our city, who were actually invited to get involved in the project from the very beginning.

The main focus was on restoring biodiversity to the demo site, so as to be able to achieve the effect of mutual ‘support’ between the different species of grasses, shrubs, and trees, knowing that a small linear park in the city center ‘squeezed’ between dense buildings would not have favorable conditions for survival. Another important aspect is the question of being able to collect and retain rainwater that will feed the demonstration area, hence the appearance of a retention basin and a so-called ‘dry river’. We will also be creating shaded areas to provide respite for residents on hot days. A planned sensory children’s playground and a community vegetable and fruit garden (both adapted for people with disabilities) are expected to contribute to greater integration of the local community.

Tackling Environmental and Social Issues with NBS

Here we come to the key challenge that has been present throughout the project, that is, the hard-to-achieve public participation in the project sections, even those specifically dedicated to it. Over the five years of the project, and with the organization of two online surveys and five different on-site workshops (including two informational and educational and one planning workshop on co-design), a total of only 169 people (!) took part, despite the fact that before each event there was a promotional campaign in the field (posters, flyers), in the municipal newspaper (promotional articles) and on social media run directly by the municipality.

During the workshops, each time, in addition to the topic of designing a demo site and selecting NBSs, we had to deal at the outset with the resentment of residents and the complaints they made about ‘the city’ in general. It didn’t matter who was running the meeting and for what purpose, what was important was that they could express their dissatisfaction with various aspects of the municipality directly. In the end, we were always able to move on from these criticisms to the actual substance of the workshop and achieve the intended goals and results.

Another challenge proved to be the administrative procedures related mainly to tenders and public procurement law, as well as the appearance of a new unexpected ‘player’. One of the city plots, which is directly adjacent to the demo site, was sold during the project to a private developer who, for his own purposes – the construction of a new apartment building and the supply of a heating and hot water source to it – made a connection for a new heat pipeline, the route of which was entirely laid through our demo site. Arrangements with the heat supplier and discussions with the developer took almost nine months, which was not without its negative impact on the project schedule.

Tackling Environmental and Social Issues with NBS

However, in spite of the obstacles and difficulties, most of which were unforeseeable at the planning stage of the project, we have overcome them and are finally reaching the stage of realization and implementation of the NBS on the demo site. On the one hand, this is the most anticipated phase of the project, and on the other hand, it is the most demanding phase, because the schedule of activities is already as tight as the bowstring just before the arrow is released.

Admittedly, it is too early to draw final conclusions and summaries of how we have dealt with the huge and exciting challenge that is certainly the euPOLIS project, but we have certainly learned two things: patience and flexibility.

Patience with each of the parties we have had to work with during the project – the residents; the staff of other units in the municipality (on whom we have depended to varying degrees and at different stages, even if they did not share our enthusiasm and did not feel the time pressure that was and is still weighing on us); and the external parties with whom we have had to conduct not infrequently difficult discussions and negotiations.

Flexibility in our approach to our own work, to the project’s set timetable and budget, to the sometimes misconceptions about how things are done and for how long…

But, given all this, was it worth embarking on this journey? Yes, it definitely was. And we would venture out on it again, especially as we now have a backpack full of new experiences and skills.

Aleksandra Trzcińska