ENABLE (Enabling Green and Blue Infrastructure Potential In Complex Socio-ecological Regions) explores under which circumstances the benefits of green and blue infrastructure can be – or are being – realised in cities. The project looks at various benefits urban green and blue infrastructure can offer, how they are distributed, and who benefits from them. It aims to develop new methods and tools to maximise the capacity of green and blue interventions in neighbourhoods and metropolitan regions, taking into account local stakeholders’ perspectives.

ENABLE has three core objectives:

• Advance knowledge on implementing green and blue infrastructure in order to unlock its full potential to provide social and environmental benefits and contribute to, for example, storm water retention, diverse habitats and healthier living spaces.
• Create an assessment framework and develop new analytical approaches to evaluate the performance and resilience of green and blue infrastructure. Key aspects here are mental and physical health, social justice and cohesion, eco-gentrification, the socio-economic stratification of urban inhabitants, and access rights. The ENABLE assessment framework will promote a holistic understanding of green and blue interventions.
• Support European local governments in their work towards green and blue infrastructure objectives amidst changing (environmental, policy, societal) changes.

The project looks at five European city regions with different challenges, needs and socio-economic circumstances: Halle (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Łódź (Poland), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway). The City of New York is also studied to relay the European approaches. In each case study city, in-depth-analyses are conducted and, in most cases, the wider region of each city is also taken into account.

ENABLE works with a wide range of partners, using transdisciplinary approaches, and collaborates with the public and private sectors in case study city. It will provide a better understanding of how green and blue infrastructure is embedded in larger city planning and development, by studying perceptions towards and institutions influencing the planning, implementation and maintenance of green and blue infrastructure.

ICLEI Europe is responsible for organising city workshops and stakeholder events to showcase and exchange with the participating cities, as well as the European community working on green and blue infrastructure on the project questions and answers.