Greening Cities Partnership Webinar: Urban Ecosystem Restoration-Baselines and Data

Understanding Data and Baselines for Urban Greening

This webinar will address key questions on how cities and regions should assess and define their urban ecosystem restoration baselines. Participants will explore the fundamental differences between using Local Administrative Units (LAUs) and Urban Ecosystem Areas (UEAs) and discuss the implications for urban restoration targets. Experts will also introduce available tools to calculate green space baselines and examine the challenges cities face in integrating EU satellite data with local data sources.

Defining Restoration Boundaries

Benjamin Rolles, Policy Officer at the European Commission, will provide insight into the differences between Local Administrative Units (LAUs) and Urban Ecosystem Areas (UEAs), highlighting their impact on nature restoration efforts.

EU satellite data: what’s needed

We’ll hear from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Space4Good on some of the tools available to support cities in mapping their urban green space and tree canopy cover baselines. While the JRC are in the process of developing guidance for cities and member states on the use of EU satellite data, we’ll hear from Grazia Zulian, Scientific and Technical Project Officer, on what’s available at the moment and what updates to expect. We’ll then hear from Liv Toonen, Technology Project Lead at Space4Good, an organisation of GIS experts, urban planners, and software developers aiming to tackle challenges while ensuring a positive environmental and social impact on what a higher image resolution can offer in terms of mapping and monitoring greening on the ground.

Case Study: Brussels Capital Region: investigating the options for NRR implementation

Taking us to a specific case study, this segment will explore how the Brussels Capital Region is considering different approaches to implementing Article 8 of the Nature Restoration Regulation. Anne Franklin, Brussels Institute of Statistics and Analysis, Perspective Brussels, will share insights into the data-related challenges of implementing the options proposed in Article 8, highlighting their potential effects on urban ecosystem restoration strategies.  

The webinar will be moderated by Heather Brooks (Eurocities) and will include interactive discussions with opportunities for participants to engage directly with the speakers.

Watch the Webinar Recording

Did you miss the session or want to revisit the highlights? Watch the video of the Greening Cities Partnership Webinar: Urban Ecosystem Restoration – Baselines and Data on the Urban Agenda for the EU, YouTube Channel. The discussion covered key concepts, challenges, and tools for defining baselines and using data to support urban ecosystem restoration across Europe.