About

Context

In Europe, cities gather 72% of the population. The urban environment consumes nearly 75% of energy resources and generates nearly 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. This massive urbanization and intensive concreting leads to severe environmental perturbations. Uncontrolled urban sprawl have also created many social and health problems. Cities then have to face major challenges such as poor air quality, heat island effects, increased risks of flooding, increased frequency and severity of extreme events. So far, abandoned industrial sites and degraded urban environments increased social exclusion and inequality.

Air pollution in Paris

With the emergence of environmental awareness, the past few decades led to new directions in urban management policies, which have fundamentally changed the planning law and housing. A sustainable development approach that had a significant impact on the planning law with the creation of green and blue belts as indispensable elements in any development plan.

READ MORE ABOUT EU URBAN POLICIES

> EU Policy on the Urban Environment
> EU Urban Portal

With the emergence of environmental awareness, the past few decades led to new directions in urban management policies, which have fundamentally changed the planning law and housing. A sustainable development approach that had a significant impact on the planning law with the creation of green and blue belts as indispensable elements in any development plan.

READ MORE ABOUT EU URBAN POLICIES

> EU Policy on the Urban Environment
> EU Urban Portal

Proposals for urban development solutions focused on nature present in this context a relevant alternative. The green building, alternative techniques of water management, plant engineering and new management practices and maintenance of green spaces (differentiated management, urban valleys, shared gardens, ponds pollution…) are nature-based solutions that can significantly improve the resistance to climate change and significantly improve the quality of life while contributing to a functional economy.

READ MORE ABOUT NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

> EU Nature-based solutions

Problematic

Urban nature-based solutions offer many advantages

Environmental

Increase of biodiversity, beautification of the living environment, limitation of soil waterproofing and restoration of the water cycle, better air quality and better thermal regulation.

Economic

Reduction of infrastructures, reduction of energy costs, jobs creation, businesses and services related expansion , state value increase.

Social

Promote direct human contact with the environment, social appropriation of public space, mixing and social interaction, improve well-being and have positive effects on health.

These solutions nevertheless face with several problems

Feedback

The limited experience feedback of contracting authorities and local authorities makes the choice of the good practice to adopt difficult.

Maintenance

The necessity of regular maintenance leads to a fear of additional operating and management costs for communities.

Doubts

The utility and purpose of these green facilities is not always well perceived, because of traditional believes as well the legacy of hygienism.

The Progress Project

What

In order to:

Increase knowledge of alternative management techniques
Fostering their development
Have proofs for ROI in maintenance
…

We want to share and transmit experiments, methodologies and know-how on the implementation of alternative and sustainable management solutions of urban green spaces in different contexts (populations, uses, climate,cultures, representations, national, law, politics…)

How

One of the levers considered in the Progress project is then to engage professionals and stakeholders of the urban environment and green spaces by bringing them together and giving them experiences feedbacks, knowledges, methods and know-how about the implementation of alternative and sustainable management solutions in different cities and countries with different contexts and problematics (population, climate, politics, cultures,…)

The Target

Professionals and actors of the environment and the green and natural spaces in urban areas

Entrepreneurs of the green areas, managers, engineers of the water and the plant, Educators, trainers, integration professionals, sociologists, Architects, town planners, Environmental associations, academics, experts in urban ecology, students…

An European Project

The Progress Project involves 4 partners from 4 european cities. Each of the four European partners involved in the project brings its specificity by organizing a training program in its city.

View Partners

The project takes place over two years and provides for 5 activities in 4 European cities.

Montpellier – Barcelona – Brussels – Copenhaguen

View events

Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership

The Progress Project is a European partnership project wich falls within the framework of the Erasmus+ program : “Strategic Partnerships for Cooperation and Exchange of Good Practices”.

Objectives



Contribute

at a European level to the transfer of knowledges, methods and experiences on sustainable management practices of urban green spaces;



Strenghten

the technical knowledge and alternative green spaces management methods;



Control

the modalities and costs of managing and operating urban green spaces;



Encourage

citizen re-appropriation of urban green spaces, especially through participatory management;



Promote

employment and social integration in green spaces areas;

w

Create

a platform for the sharing of knowledge, methods, feedback, technical and human resources.

This project has been founded by the EU Commission under the Erasmus+ program

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