BLOSSOM Cities/Regions

Building Climate Resilience Across Europe: BLOSSOM in Action

The BLOSSOM project supports cities and regions across Europe in implementing nature-based solutions, community-led innovation, and inclusive climate adaptation strategies. Here’s how each partner is making progress toward a more resilient, sustainable future. 

The bankable solutions will be demonstrated in our Front Runner Cities (Birmingham, Lisbon, and Kielce), which will test the methodology and make it available for replication up to the planning stage in the Replicating case studies (Region of Alentejo, Parma, Aarhus, and Newham).

Front Runner Cities

Lisbon: Climate-Resilient Homes for Safer Communities

Lisbon is at the forefront of climate adaptation in private housing, working closely with residents to address increasing risks from floods, storms, heatwaves, and droughts.
The city is piloting practical, scalable solutions such as:

  • Green roofs and flood-proofing
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Energy-efficient retrofits
  • Real-time monitoring and early warning systems

Implemented in areas like Alto da Ajuda, Quinta da Granja, and Marvila, these interventions aim to reduce insurance risks, lower premiums, and unlock private investment, all while making homes safer and more climate-resilient.

Birmingham: Greening Communities, Strengthening Resilience

In Birmingham, the East Birmingham Urban Living Lab is reimagining neighbourhoods through community-driven climate action. Residents, organisations, and local leaders are working together to:
  • Co-design green spaces and enhance biodiversity
  • Retrofit buildings to improve comfort and energy efficiency
  • Restore natural areas like the River Cole Community Commons
  • Use digital tools and citizen science for climate planning
These efforts improve health, air quality, and access to nature, particularly in areas most vulnerable to climate change, while promoting climate justice and long-term resilience.

Kielce: Blue-Green Infrastructure for Urban Adaptation

Kielce is investing in blue-green infrastructure to strengthen its resilience to climate extremes. Key initiatives include:
  • Revitalizing historic squares and streets by replacing concrete with vegetation
  • Installing climate monitoring and early warning systems
  • Enabling public participation through the Idea Kielce platform
  • Launching education campaigns to raise awareness
These integrated solutions reduce flood risk, cool the urban environment, and enhance biodiversity, while fostering a more livable city for all.

Follow up cities/regions

Alentejo: Restoring Ecosystems for Regional Resilience

In the Alentejo region, climate adaptation focuses on sustainable land management to combat soil erosion, drought, and biodiversity loss. BLOSSOM supports efforts including:
  • Large-scale reforestation and vegetation restoration
  • Advanced water management to optimize scarce resources
  • Soil conservation to protect agriculture and ecosystems
  • Community engagement through participatory planning and capacity building
Alentejo’s model is designed to be replicable across other rural and semi-arid regions facing similar climate pressures.

Parma: Scaling Green Infrastructure Through Co-Design

Parma is accelerating its climate strategy with a focus on green infrastructure and urban reforestation. Through inclusive processes involving citizens and private stakeholders, the city is:
  • Creating multifunctional green spaces
  • Reducing flood and heat risks
  • Encouraging private investment in climate-smart infrastructure
  • Promoting behavioural change and long-term policy integration
These actions demonstrate how cities can balance growth with resilience and environmental health.

Aarhus: Doubling Nature, Designing for the Future

Aarhus is scaling up its commitment to nature-based urban development, aiming to double its natural areas by 2030. Through BLOSSOM, the city is working to:

  • Expand forests and multifunctional green infrastructure
  • Engage private investors and citizens in building resilient neighbourhoods
  • Enhance water security and improve quality of life through green solutions
Aarhus exemplifies how urban growth and climate resilience can go hand in hand — guided by collaboration, innovation, and long-term planning.

Newham: Financing Resilience Through Green Retrofit

Newham is leading efforts to integrate climate resilience into housing and public infrastructure by unlocking finance for nature-based solutions and energy-efficient retrofits. Through the BLOSSOM initiative, the borough is piloting approaches that combine:

  • Shading solutions for social housing and schools to reduce energy bills and protect vulnerable residents during heatwaves
  • Green infrastructure, such as green walls and roofs, to mitigate heat island effects, manage flood risk, and enhance biodiversity
  • Retrofit finance models that embed health and climate resilience into building upgrades

These interventions build on Newham’s Just Transition Plan. They are designed to support one of the UK’s most climate-vulnerable urban areas, home to over 380,000 residents and marked by high levels of deprivation, poor air quality, and exposure to extreme heat and flooding.

A European Vision for Local Impact
From Lisbon to Aarhus, BLOSSOM partners are testing and refining new ways to adapt to a changing climate — using nature-based solutions, participatory design, and cross-sector collaboration. Together, these cities and regions are laying the foundation for a climate-ready Europe, one community at a time.