From Nature Plan to Nature Practice: UNP+ is a Horizon Europe project that strives to make urban nature the norm, not the exception. By working with cities, UNP+ aims to halt biodiversity loss and to enhance urban ecosystems, fostering healthier and more resilient communities. Through collaborative research and action, the Project integrates city-led initiatives with national sustainability strategies to develop transformative green solutions. The mission of UNP+ is to create thriving, biodiverse cities across Europe, where biodiverse spaces are valued and are accessible to all.
UNPs envision a future where green spaces are abundant, accessible and valued as essential components of urban life, contributing to the well-being of people and the Planet. UNP+ is partnering with cities to test the UNP framework: Barcelona and Paris have been acting as “Lighthouse Cities” by building on existing UNPs and exploring best practices and advocacy for the policy integration of UNPs and Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Meanwhile the municipalities of Mannheim, Belgrade, and Burgas have been participating as “Greening Cities”. They have been contributing to capacity building activities through UrbanbyNature and testing the UNP development framework to provide resources for the Urban Nature Platform.
Urban Nature Plans Explained
Previous policies have often fallen short when it comes to delivering biodiversity conservation and other multifunctional outcomes. By contrast, UNPs are strategic frameworks that help bridge this gap by formalising a city's commitment to promoting biodiversity and urban nature. They help by aligning mobility, building and climate goals. They also encourage collaboration to increase natural spaces and biodiversity, supporting healthy and thriving urban environments. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Law encourage cities to leverage the power of UNPs in mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions (NbS), enhancing urban biodiversity and nature and achieving global environmental targets. The European Union encourages all cities over 20,000 residents to deliver a UNP as part of their sustainability planning!
Urban Nature Plan Cycle Steps
Development of an Urban Nature Plan is a structured process which involves following a series of 10 defined steps, which are as follows:
- Political commitment: Securing the commitment and support of political leaders to secure the initiative's backing and resources.
- Working structure: Establishing a framework that defines roles, responsibilities and governance to manage the project effectively.
- Co-creation process: Engaging stakeholders, including community members, experts and organisations, to develop the plan together.
- Long-term vision and goals: Creating a comprehensive vision and setting clear, achievable goals for the future state of urban nature and biodiversity.
- Current state of nature and biodiversity: Assessing and documenting the existing state of nature and biodiversity in the urban area.
- Indicators and targets: Identify specific metrics to measure progress and set target outcomes to achieve the Plan's objectives.
- Priorities, actions, responsibilities, timelines and funding: Outline key priorities, necessary actions, assigned responsibilities, timelines for implementation, and sources of funding.
- Communication, education and public awareness strategy: Develop strategies to inform, educate and engage the public and stakeholders about the plan and its benefits.
- Monitoring, reporting and evaluation system: Establish a system to track progress, report on developments and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions implemented.
- Adoption, publication and implementation of the plan: Finalising, publicising and implementing the urban nature plan.
UNP+ Aims and Objectives
The Urban Nature Plans Plus (UNP+) Project has teamed up with cities to address gaps in biodiversity protection at both the implementation and policy levels. By coordinating both bottom-up and top-down initiatives, UNP+ has linked city- and community-led efforts with national sustainability plans. Together, innovations have been explored to help cities overcome barriers when integrating more or enhancing existing natural spaces in cities. During the 3 years of the UNP+ project, priorities have included:
- Leveraging the power of co-creation to test, assess, and ultimately improve the UNP framework, thereby supporting partner cities in achieving ambitious EU environmental targets.
- Facilitating peer to peer and reflexive learning opportunities for participating cities.
- Supporting participating cities in integrating justice and equity into spatial planning processes.
- Fostering public private partnerships, inspire collaborative business models, and encourage innovative financing within the field of nature-based solutions.
- Creating and test planning and evaluation tools that link social, environmental, and more-than-human justice and resilience perspectives.
The UNP+ Structure
UNP+ has brought together 11 academic partners and 5 European cities to test and implement the UNP Framework. By leveraging the power of the UNP framework to foster collaboration and bridge capacity gaps, UNP+ has aimed to create a next-generation strategy for transforming urban ecosystems. Through partner networks and resources, the Project’s findings will continue to influence policy and practice, promoting sustainable urban development well into the future.
UNP+ and Urban Ecosystem Transformation
Up-, out-, and deep-scaling form the core of the UNP+ strategy for achieving meaningful, just and sustaibale urban ecosystem transformation.
- Scaling Up: Building on successful practices in experienced ‘Lighthouse’ cities, we adapt and implement strategies in ‘Greening’ cities, influencing policy change at multiple levels.
- Scaling Out: Sharing knowledge and best practices through peer learning and stakeholder networks to increase our impact in different urban contexts.
- Scaling Deep: Fostering mindset and organisational change ensures lasting change by embedding sustainable practices in participating cities.
Impact of UNP+
UNP+ will continue build upon the existing UNP framework to co-create a comprehensive tool for transforming urban ecosystems that benefit cities, their inhabitants, and biodiversty. Together, this will:
- Enhance and increase urban biodiversity through the implementation of innovative nature-based solutions.
- Increase the resilience of urban environments to climate change and other stressors.
- Mainstream sustainable development practices.
- Create new employment opportunities and improve the quality of life for urban residents through the enhancement of green spaces.
- Integrate nature-based solutions into local and national policies, contributing to long-term sustainability.