Urban ReLeaf

Urban ReLeaf promotes collaboration between local communities and public authorities to address urgent climate issues related to urban greenspace planning, heat stress, and air pollution. The project facilitates citizen-powered environmental monitoring campaigns focusing on community placemaking, public sector innovation, and tailored strategies to reach its common goal of creating greener, more just, and resilient cities for all.

Together with six European cities (Athens, Cascais, Dundee, Mannheim, Riga and Utrecht), Urban ReLeaf specifically empowers vulnerable communities, to shape local citizen science campaigns to address the effects of climate change. Seeking to strengthen the link between citizen science and public authorities, Urban ReLeaf is committed to increase the uptake of citizen-generated data in policy making and urban planning. To do so, Urban ReLeaf assists cities in understanding existing data gaps and their aspirations in terms of citizen participation in governance and municipal planning processes.  Based on the lessons learnt during the pilot campaigns, scaling of activities is foreseen beyond the initial six cities.

Project partners: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS), ICLEI European Secretariat, City of Mannheim, CIBOS INNOVATION, City of Athens - IT Company (DAEM), Institute of Communications and Computer Systems (ICCS), National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Riga Planning Region, Cascais Ambiente, Municipality of Utrecht, Province of Utrecht, Dundee City Council, University of Dundee

Aim

Urban ReLeaf aims to achieve the following:

• Understand current urban greening policies in six pilot cities and co-develop opportunities for citizen participation to complement existing practices.
• Support the long-term inclusion of active and passive data from citizens within official data streams for urban monitoring, planning and innovation in public policy.
• Mobilize and empower local communities in issues of public interest surrounding urban green infrastructure and environmental stewardship.
• Establish a community of practice and an accelerator programme to encourage knowledge exchange and training across relevant actors, reaching beyond the six pilot cities.
• Offer flexible and innovative ways of governance that can underpin inclusive green urban planning in support of the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Needed equipment

A mobile phone, to use the Urban ReLeaf participatory tree registry and the perceptions' app. Low-cost, wearable temperature and humidity sensors, low-cost, stationary air quality sensors (PM 2.5) as well as Black Carbon and Ultra Fine Particle sensors will also be used in some locations. Sensors will be given to participants free of charge as part of local, city-specific campaigns.

About funding

Funding bodies: European Commission

UK Research and Innovation

About branding

Profile image design by: Urban ReLeaf

Logo design by: Urban ReLeaf, Agency of None

Created Dec. 5, 2023, 8:28 a.m.

Updated Dec. 13, 2023, 10:23 a.m.

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