Urban Greening Plans, guidance for cities
Shreya Utkarsh & Anna Bruen, Officers, Sustainable Resources & Climate and Resilience, ICLEI Europe
Beyond nature conservation, ecosystem restoration has been recognised as a fundamental action in the fight against the climate crisis. In the framework of the European Green Deal and the ambition to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050, the proposed Nature Restoration Law of the European Commission establishes for the first time binding targets for the restoration of ecosystems, including in urban areas. Proposed greening targets and renaturation goals will have clear implications for regions and cities, calling for multi-level governance and cooperation. To energise coordination of actions across levels of government, ICLEI Europe will support regional and local authorities with strategic guidance and tools for drafting Urban Greening Plans (UGPs), one of the main instruments to build on existing local planning strategies and efficiently integrate renaturation objectives.
