UPSURGE’s main objective is to build the EU Regenerative Urban Lighthouse as a reference framework offering guided support on how tested and verified NBS can be strategically implemented to significantly improve the multitude of problems faced by cities. As a service platform, the Lighthouse offers a knowledge centre, consultancy services, training, and a marketplace to facilitate collaborative urban regeneration and help cities implement and scale NBS initiatives.
On its turn, UrbanByNature is a well-established capacity-building programme that brings together cities, researchers, SMEs, and NGOs across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and beyond. Through its network of NbS hubs and synergies with PROJECTS like UNP+, it offers a dynamic platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the implementation of nature-based solutions. Driven by ICLEI Europe’s extensive expertise and broad networks, UrbanByNature supports communities in understanding and applying the latest policy guidelines. Within this framework, UPSURGE’s Lighthouse initiative adds a new dimension of collaboration by offering a wide range of consultancy services and leveraging partner expertise through the ClearingHouse and project outputs.
Integrating the Lighthouse Framework with ICLEI’s UrbanByNature programme presents a strategic opportunity to ensure the long-term sustainability and impact of UPSURGE outcomes. By incorporating the Lighthouse’s consultancy, advisory, mentoring, and on-demand training services into UbN, the programme can evolve into a more comprehensive service hub. This integration allows cities to access tailored support beyond the project’s lifetime while enabling a smooth referral process to experts from the UPSURGE consortium. Leveraging the existing brand recognition and outreach capacity of UbN will help maximize the uptake and visibility of the Lighthouse offering, ensuring its continued relevance and utility for cities pursuing climate neutrality and urban regeneration.
Take a look at the UrbanbyNature services powered by the UPSURGE Lighthouse.
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Lighthouse in practice
