Greening Cities presents its Orientation Paper

The Urban Agenda for the EU partnership on Greening Cities proudly presents its Orientation Paper! This papers marks a significant milestone as it outlines the objectives of the partnership and details its collaborative approach.

The Orientation Paper signifies the initial step in a well-defined process towards the preparation and implementation of the Partnership’s Final Action Plan. The document elaborates on the working arrangements, encompassing crucial aspects such as deliverables and meetings. The paper is the result of both online and in-person Partnership meetings, enabling members to express their expectations, establish key priorities, identify potential actions, and map out relevant expertise. In addition, comprehensive surveys were conducted, shedding light on several important questions.

The Greening Cities partnership is driven by the primary aim of enhancing the well-being of citizens through cleaner air, improved inclusiveness, and a more aesthetically pleasing environment. The partnership aligns with the key pillars of the Urban Agenda for the EU: better knowledge, better regulation, and better funding.

The partnership aims to address existing inequalities in access to knowledge and improve the implementation of green and blue infrastructure solutions at the city level. It plans to collaborate with Member States, the European Commission, and other EU organizations to enhance the urban dimension of upcoming EU nature policies and support the implementation of existing legislation, such as the Nature Restoration Law. The partnership also aims to assist cities in better integrating green infrastructure into their planning documents at the national, local, and regional levels. Additionally, it seeks to develop strategies to increase the absorption of funding for green infrastructure in an integrated manner and support cities in incorporating green initiatives into their budgets.

The ultimate goal is to benefit member cities and promote tailored financial instruments that meet the needs of cities of different sizes across Europe.

With the Orientation Paper now in place, the partnership is poised to advance its work diligently, guided by the established objectives and working arrangements.