GreenEsteem

📢 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻: 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹

Following our recent spotlight on the
GreenEsteem Living Lab in Sofia, we now turn to its sister site in Konin,
Poland - where another important chapter of the project is unfolding.

🌱 In Konin, the Living Lab is taking shape in a city that is actively navigating a profound transition. As a former coal-reliant region moving toward a greener future, Konin is becoming a real-world testbed for Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), co-created together with local authorities, researchers, and citizens.

Just like in Sofia, the emphasis is not only on designing green interventions, but on ensuring they are:
✅ co-developed with local communities
✅ grounded in real urban needs
✅ embedded in long-term maintenance and ownership models

💡 What makes Konin especially significant is its role as a “city in transition” where environmental, social, and economic change intersect. This creates a powerful learning environment for testing how Nature-Based Solutions can support just transition pathways in practice.

🔗 Read more about the Konin Living Lab here, and stay tuned for more insights coming soon!
👉 https://shorturl.at/pBsAc

🌍 Together, the Living Labs in and form the
backbone of the GreenEsteem project, connecting Central and Eastern Europe
through shared experimentation, knowledge co-creation, and collaborative
learning on sustainable .

Two cities. Two contexts. One shared
ambition: making Nature-Based Solutions truly work for people and places.

Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM Klimabündnis Österreich Екипът на София Konin. Tu płynie energia

📢 New blog alert!

🌱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁?

In Sofia, the answer is already taking shape. Led by Екипът на София and University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy of Bulgaria, the LivingLab is bringing together citizens, experts, municipalities and local communities to do something rare: not just design a green intervention, but ensure it genuinely belongs to the people who live with it every day.

By putting collaborative knowledge valorisation at the heart of it, the project ensures that Nature-Based Solutions don’t just get built, but get owned, maintained, and replicated by the communities they serve. Because when communities are at the centre, solutions stick.

💡 Curious what that looks like on the ground in Sofia’s neighbourhoods? The latest blog takes you behind the scenes.

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://bit.ly/47As1Xo

🌱 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? ✨

The climate and environmental challenges we face today require a bridge between scientific expertise and local action. That is where comes in!

Built on the foundation of 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ( ), we are working to make our urban environments more resilient, biodiverse, and livable. By involving diverse voices, our project aims to develop a broader understanding of expertise, to build a sense of ownership and to ensure that research outputs better match societal and environmental needs in the long term!

𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻:

🔸 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀: We are launching two urban living labs in Konin (Poland) and Sofia (Bulgaria) to co-design and pilot sustainable NbS interventions.

🔸 𝗖𝗼-𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Bringing together research, policy, business, and civil society to ensure knowledge doesn't just stay in reports but hits the ground.

🔸 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: Developing training programs and digital toolkits to help practitioners replicate these best practices across Europe.

➡️ Do you want to learn more about the cornerstones and planned activities of GreenEsteem? 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: https://www.greenesteem.eu/2026/02/02/greenesteem-explained-the-project-in-a-nutshell/

Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM Екипът на София UACEG - УАСГ Konin. Tu płynie energia Klimabündnis Österreich

GreenEsteem Explained: The Project in a Nutshell - GreenEsteem GreenEsteem is launching a transformative initiative to bridge the gap between scientific research and local urban needs through collaborative knowledge creation. Citizens and decision-makers will be empowered to co-create sustainable Nature-Based Solutions in two “Living Labs” in Poland and Bul...

🌱 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 = 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

On 2 December 2025, the conference “𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨” was held at the 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. It was attended by representatives of residents and non-governmental organizations, science, local governments, institutions of broadly understood nature conservation, spatial planning and urban planning, and others.



The project was represented by AMU (Katarzyna Fagiewicz, Lidia Poniży) who - together with the sister projects , and others - prepared a poster exhibition highlighting the role of 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗡𝗕𝗦) supporting contemporary urban policy.

Green city rings (green belts and green rings) are not just planning concepts - they are a powerful example of Nature-Based Solutions ( ) at a landscape scale.

By protecting and restoring natural and semi-natural ecosystems around cities (forests, river valleys, wetlands, agricultural land), 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀:

🔸 climate change adaptation and heat reduction

🔸 natural water retention and flood mitigation

🔸 biodiversity protection and ecological connectivity

🔸 public health, recreation and well-being

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. While many NBS are implemented as local or point-based interventions (parks, green roofs, rain gardens), green rings 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗕𝗦 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, embedded in urban and metropolitan planning.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 — 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁 — 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM Klimabündnis Österreich UACEG - УАСГ Konin. Tu płynie energia Екипът на София

🌱 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺! ✨

As 2025 draws to a close, we are still feeling the new project energy after our successful launch this past October! Looking Ahead: 2026 will be the year we dive deep into co-designing NbS pilot projects, digital tools and training modules to empower communities for collaborative knowledge co-creation!

We want to thank our early supporters and the entire consortium for a fantastic start. We are excited to see these seeds of innovation grow into a forest of change in the coming year!

𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩!🍃✨

hashtag Екипът на София Konin. Tu płynie energia Klimabündnis Österreich Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM UACEG - УАСГ

🍃 🚀 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀!

In the course of our two-year project, we will bring citizens, policy makers, businesses, and academia together to share knowledge and co-create practical Nature-Based Solutions ( )!

With this in mind, GreenEsteem will advance best practices in the field of NBS in two pilot urban living labs in Konin, Poland, and Sofia, Bulgaria.

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀:

🔸 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗬 & 𝗠𝗔𝗣 good practices, barriers and requirements for better collaborative knowledge valorisation and a successful twin transition

🔸𝗖𝗢-𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗘 & 𝗖𝗢-𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡 sustainable implementation and maintenance of NBS for better ecosystem integrity, climate change adaptation and mitigation

🔸 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗙𝗘𝗥 best practices through a capacity building programme and strategic cooperations, overcoming gaps in knowledge, resources and skills

🔸 𝗠𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗟𝗬 best practices and capacities, translating collaborative knowledge valorisation models to different fields across Europe and beyond

🔸 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗦𝗧 awareness and impact, upscaling the uptake of project results through effective communication, networking and collaboration activities

⏩ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚: https://www.greenesteem.eu/about/

Екипът на София Konin. Tu płynie energia Klimabündnis Österreich Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM UACEG - УАСГ

🌱 💡𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘂𝗺!

The GreenEsteem team brings together 6 partners from 3 countries: Poland, Bulgaria and Austria!

🔸 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗰𝘇 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, a leading Polish academic institution, coordinates GreenEsteem and provides expertise in urban development, ecosystem services, and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) evaluation!
➡️ Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM

🔸 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗬𝗢, an Austrian research and technology enterprise, supports coordination and contributes to communication, dissemination, exploitation, and digital platforms for knowledge co-creation!

🔸 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗮, an interdisciplinary group of urban experts, brings together practical city-level experience in urban planning and integrates citizen inputs into policy frameworks.
➡️ Екипът на София

🔸 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘆, the academic partner from Bulgaria, will establish the methodological framework for analysis, evaluation, and knowledge transfer of NBS, leveraging practical experience from urban regeneration and educational projects. UACEG - УАСГ

🔸 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮 specialises in consulting municipalities on climate protection and NBS, leading the project's capacity building, communication, and training efforts.
➡️ Klimabündnis Österreich

🔸 The Polish city of 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻 serves as the real-world testbed for the project, by implementing and maintaining NBS and engaging citizens through initiatives like the Civic Budget.
➡️ Konin. Tu płynie energia

🌱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: https://www.greenesteem.eu/consortium/

🌱 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆? 🧩

𝗖𝗼-𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆!
This approach ensures citizens and societal actors are actively engaged alongside research, industry, and policy, guaranteeing that knowledge and solutions effectively respond to societal needs.

The CO-VALUE project has developed an excellent 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹!

👉Access it to evaluate your current co-valorisation activities and ensure they achieve their objectives: https://zenodo.org/records/17242180

403 Forbidden

🌱 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗺?

We have gathered all the essential information—the project's background, core objectives and key facts —into one concise, easy-to-digest leaflet! ✨ 📄

Discover how we bring citizens, policy makers, businesses, and academia together to share knowledge and co-create practical Nature-Based Solutions ( ) for a greener and more sustainable future!

🔗 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://www.greenesteem.eu/media/

Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM Екипът на София Konin. Tu płynie energia UACEG - УАСГ Klimabündnis Österreich

🌱 We are proud to be part of this wonderful portfolio of sister projects!

🌟On 25 November, we held a productive online meeting with our sister projects MEDViEW, CO-VALUE, and ERIS. Just like GreenEsteem, these projects are dedicated to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and societal needs across disciplines and topics!

🙏 Big thanks to all the project colleagues who joined this fruitful session! We are excited about the joint activities ahead of us!

Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM Konin. Tu płynie energia Екипът на София Klimabündnis Österreich UACEG - УАСГ