ICLEI Europe experts, together with the municipality of Zagreb (Croatia) and local NGOs, recently gathered European cities to learn from Zagreb's successful nature-based solutions.

The workshop took place in the post-industrial Sesvete district, which has been revitalised with nature-based solutions implemented in the context of the proGIreg project, in which ICLEI is a partner. Zagreb is a dedicated ICLEI Member working to build a green and sustainable future in the capital. The city also has an international outlook, with collaborations and knowledge exchange among other national cities and internationally.

The workshop convened stakeholders from ICLEI Members Cascais (Portugal), Tirana (Albania), and Murcia (Spain), as well as from Dortmund (Germany), Torino (Italy), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Piraeus (Greece), and Velika Gorica (Croatia). It included visual mapping led by ICLEI experts on the values and obstacles the cities have on their path to becoming environmentally sustainable and resilient. The participants visited the local therapeutic- and urban gardens and a mini-farm. They also received feedback on their current plans for implementing nature-based solutions to improve deployment.

The key to Zagreb’s success has been utilising existing resources and not reinventing the wheel. Their positive focus on opportunities instead of challenges has led to a great green area in a previously abandoned factory district, which is now utilised by many. The future vision of the city is to build a ‘green corridor’ network stretching from the city to the nearby mountain areas and river, allowing inhabitants to choose green pathways for commuting and living.

Learn more from Zagreb’s approach via the proGIreg project here.