Press Release
For immediate release

Urban Green Infrastructure:
Connecting People and Nature for Sustainable Cities

Malmö, Sweden, 20 – 21 September 2017

Malmö/Freiburg, 7 September 2017: Under the banner of “Connecting People and Nature for Sustainable Cities”, the GREEN SURGE project’s final conference is taking place in Malmo, Sweden, from 20 to 21 September 2017. It will bring together researchers, decision-makers, planners, and practitioners to examine the potential contributions of nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development.

“We truly believe that a city which does not take environmental as well as social responsibility today will not be a success tomorrow”, says Andreas Schönström, Deputy Mayor of Malmö, host city of the conference. The conference serves to discuss effective applications, emerging opportunities and future challenges of nature-based solutions for increasing social cohesion, promoting the green economy, adapting to climate change and conserving biodoversity.

The conference will discuss the innovative approach and results of the GREEN SURGE project and provide practical advice for local authorities and decision-makers. “It is not only the rich output, but also the approach that makes GREEN SURGE unique: through Urban Learning Labs in five European cities GREEN SURGE was able to establish a close collaboration between science and practice,” says Stephan Pauleit, GREEN SURGE Project leader, and Chair for Strategic Landscape Planning and Management at TU Munich.

A variety of high-profile speakers will join Mr Schönström and Mr Pauleit at the conference, including Cathy Oke, Chair of the Environment Portfolio of the City of Melbourne, Maria Yeroyanni from Directorate General Environment of the European Commission and Gil Peñalosa, Founder of 8 80 Cities.

More than 250 participants from 35 countries will delve into a variety of contemporary themes, ranging from biocultural diversity and governance aspects to the functionality of green spaces. With a global perspective and international selection of speakers, the conference will go beyond the project’s European focus and provide attendees with insight, experiences, and solutions from around the world.

Inventive discussion formats and sessions ensure a highly interactive conference. The innovation area provides an opportunity to showcase new ideas and tools and demonstrate them to potential users. Four different site visits will give participants a chance to experience Malmö and some of its innovative green infrastructure in person.

To read the full agenda and for further information see: greensurge.eu/international-conference/

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Contact

Julia Kittel
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
European Secretariat
Germany
Email: julia.kittel@iclei.org
Tel: +49-761 / 3 68 920

NOTES TO EDITOR

Media attendance to the conference

Members of the press are invited to join the conference free of charge and can register in advance to the above mentioned email, or on the day of the conference at the registration desk. Please note, that entry will only be allowed with a valid press ID.

About GREEN SURGE

The GREEN SURGE project is a collaborative project between 24 partners in 11 countries. It is funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Over the last four years the GREEN SURGE project has identified, developed and tested ways of linking green spaces, biodiversity, people and the green economy in order to meet the major urban challenges related to land use conflicts, climate change adaptation, demographic changes, and human health and wellbeing. The projects results are vital for urban planners and managers to take full advantage of the potential of nature-based solutions in solving some of these challenges.

About the conference

Concluding the GREEN SURGE project, the conference will share the insights from the four year project and the tools developed to support urban planners and managers to take ample advantage of these potentials to steer sustainable development at city level.

The City of Malmö will host the conference, which is co-organised by the University of Copenhagen, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.