How GreenInCities empowers communities to drive change
With two in three people globally living in cities by 2025, it’s essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from urban areas, boost climate resilience and improve quality of life and biodiversity.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer one way to do this through creation of green spaces and wildlife corridors, among other innovative solutions. However, balancing the needs of human and non-human residents comes with challenges.
We caught up with Déborah Camañes from Ideas for Change and Communications Project Manager for the GreenInCities Consortium, to find out how their innovative approach to co-creation is overcoming those challenges.
GreenInCities focuses on involving local communities in co-creation of NbS in cities. What are the benefits and challenges of your approach?
Our approach has many benefits. Greening cities also makes them more resilient, improves quality of life, helps reduce pollution, cool down cities and create more inclusive places for everyone, especially vulnerable groups.
By vulnerable groups, we mean specific groups of people whose needs are initially invisible and excluded from urban planning processes. This may include women, children, undereducated people, older adults, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, people with disabilities or reduced functionality, and non-native or migrant communities. Being excluded, these people may, therefore, require additional support.
Of course, there are risks and challenges. Balancing the needs of people and wildlife can sometimes cause conflicts. For example, spaces set aside for nature might limit urban development or the creation of recreation areas. Working with vulnerable groups in deprived areas also brings challenges, especially around mistrust, accessibility and potential conflicts.
There’s also the need to adapt our methods to each city's unique cultural and social context. In some areas, there’s a real sense of scepticism from residents who haven’t seen lasting results from similar initiatives.
How do you overcome these challenges?
We try to address them by carefully planning habitat types and locations to minimise the potential for conflict, so green spaces benefit both people and nature without causing unintended issues.
To build trust, we focus on open communication and quick, visible results that show we’re serious. For accessibility, we hold workshops in familiar places, offer language support, and use simple tools so everyone can participate easily. Cities like Prato and Barcelona are also focusing on visible, small-scale changes early on, helping to build trust and enthusiasm within the community.
When conflicts arise, we create safe spaces for open discussions, sometimes starting with separate sessions to ensure everyone feels heard. By prioritising trust, inclusivity and respect, we make sure all voices shape the green spaces they want to see in their communities.
I’m guessing involving people in the process is crucial, right?
That’s right. Citizen science plays an essential role in our co-creation process, as we actively involve residents in gathering and sharing data that shapes the design and implementation of green solutions. By participating in activities like mapping green spaces, tracking local wildlife or monitoring air quality, citizens provide on-the-ground insights that directly inform project decisions. This data makes the solutions more relevant and responsive to real community needs.
We implement citizen science through easy-to-use tools like mobile apps and community workshops, where residents can record observations and provide feedback. This approach not only enriches the project with real-life data but also empowers communities, giving them a voice in creating greener, healthier urban spaces that adapt to their needs.
Thinking specifically about vulnerable groups or residents in deprived areas, how do you involve them in co-creation and decision-making?
Our Inclusion Plan, developed by one of our consortium members, URBANA, uses innovative methods grounded in ethical frameworks to engage vulnerable groups in urban greening, especially in deprived areas. Using approaches based on environmental justice, ecofeminism, and the ethics of care, the plan promotes fair access to green spaces and sustainable urban transformation. Its key strategies include:
· Comprehensive community mapping: Identifying all local groups, especially those often overlooked, to ensure everyone has a voice in planning.
· Accessible participatory activities: Workshops are held in familiar locations, adapted to reduce language, physical and digital barriers, making it easier for everyone to participate.
· User-friendly digital tools: Simple apps and augmented reality tools allow even those with limited digital skills to contribute insights.
· Building trust with communities: Transparent communication and quick project wins like outcomes or results that show immediate and visible improvements to help build trust and lasting engagement.
How do you ensure the benefits of urban greening are equitably distributed among all members of the community?
We’re committed to making sure the benefits of urban greening reach everyone in the community, especially those who might often be left out. To do this, we involve local voices from the start, holding accessible workshops and using those digital tools I mentioned so that everyone’s needs are part of the plan.
We also focus on understanding each area’s unique challenges and potential inequalities. For example, the Upper Breiðholt neighbourhood in Reykjavik has a high proportion of social housing and a significant immigrant population. In contrast, Barcelona is located along rivers and faces different environmental challenges, yet both cities share a common goal of preventing social segregation.
This way, we can design green spaces that feel safe, welcoming, and genuinely useful for all residents, without leading to unintended issues like gentrification. By staying in close touch with the community and listening to ongoing feedback, we work to create spaces that bring real, lasting improvements for everyone.
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