On August 25-26, 2025, the vibrant port city of Piraeus hosted the final event of the euPOLIS project, marking the culmination of over five years of pioneering work to enhance urban health, resilience, and sustainability across Europe. This landmark gathering brought together project partners, city officials such as Mirko Ćurić, Mayor of Trebinje, Carlos Felipe Reyes, General Manager, RenoBo, Bogota, Sławomir Granatowski, Acting Director of the Revitalization Bureau, The City of Lodz, researchers, and community stakeholders to showcase the full spectrum of achievements, share insights, and set the stage for future urban transformation.

Photos by: Δήμος Πειραιά, Διεύθυνση Εξωστρέφειας , Ευρωπαϊκών Προγραμμάτων και Τουρισμού

Presentations at the event covered the comprehensive goals reached by euPOLIS, highlighting the effective integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) with innovative technologies and deep citizen engagement. Attendees were guided through the development and deployment of tailored urban tools, cutting-edge technologies, and data-driven approaches designed to foster greener, healthier cities. Key components included the euPOLIS Community Guide (Mikser) for replicating social-cultural urban hubs, the Visualization Tool (NTUA, GSH) for planning and impact analysis, the euPOLIS Game (NTUA), and the Goal Driven Planning Matrix (EnPlus) to support inclusive urban health monitoring.

A major highlight was revisiting the challenges addressed throughout the project timeline to reflect on lessons learned and the evolution of strategies. Participants embraced new insights that emerged, adapting roadmaps and plans to ensure euPOLIS innovations continue to thrive beyond the project lifecycle.

Stakeholder engagement played a central role in euPOLIS’s success and was highlighted during the final event. The project’s extensive capacity-building efforts included workshops, citizen consultations, co-creation sessions, and consensus-building exercises in all front-runner cities—Gladsaxe (Denmark), Łódź (Poland), Belgrade (Serbia), and Piraeus (Greece), but a significant amount of insights and knowledge came from our Follower Cities: Bogota, Trebinje, Palermo, and Limassol. These participatory processes empowered local communities, fostering ownership and ensuring the solutions developed truly met diverse needs.

The technologies and urban interventions implemented across the four front-runner cities demonstrated the wide applicability of the euPOLIS methodology. From Gladsaxe’s advanced stormwater management systems by Biopolus, and Belgrade’s innovative Alina vertical growth project by vfi addressing food scarcity, to Łódź’s urban regeneration efforts and Piraeus’s smart pocket parks, environmental sensor networks, info kiosks, school-based living labs and canal artificial reefs, the project brought tangible improvements to urban life. The deployment of real-time sensor networks conducted by Plegma Labs to monitor environmental conditions and biodiversity further illustrated euPOLIS’s commitment to evidence-based urban planning.

Additionally, the project engaged follower cities including Palermo, Limassol, Trebinje, and Bogotá, translating the front-runner experiences into inspiring examples adaptable to different urban contexts and challenges.

Closing discussions at the Piraeus event emphasized the importance of continuing the momentum built by euPOLIS. The collective vision embraced innovation, sustainability, and social inclusiveness as pillars for the future of European cities. New strategies were adopted focused on scaling NBS deployment, enhancing active community participation, strengthening governance models, and fostering knowledge sharing across regions.

The final euPOLIS event in Piraeus symbolized not just an end, but a transition towards an empowered future where nature, technology, and citizen power converge to shape healthier, smarter, and more resilient cities for all.

This milestone gathering highlighted euPOLIS’s lasting legacy—a robust framework of tools, collaborative approaches, and pioneering solutions ready for replication and expansion, ensuring the project’s impact resonates well into the decades ahead.