The ActGREEN project activities during November and December were exceptionally rich and continue to progress, especially in the direction of networking with the aim of achieving project sustainability, identifying new partners within the NetZeroCities consortium, benefiting from consultancy companies within the consortium, the European Urban Initiative platform, and the Urbact IV interregional cooperation programme in Europe. Through all these activities, the project promotes its actions, private courtyards financed by city funds and project resources, legal solutions applied by the City, the greening decision, the greening commission, the public call, the inclusion of nature‑based solutions and landscape architecture in the process, as well as various forms and elements of nature‑based solutions — all with the goal of addressing climate change. Through small steps, citizens and the City influence temperature reduction caused by urban heat island effects, reduce CO₂ footprints, and support decarbonisation, thereby promoting the European Commission’s programme of 100 climate‑smart and climate‑neutral cities, of which Zagreb is a member, as well as the goals of the European Green Deal aiming for climate neutrality by 2030 and 2050.
Activities that promote, support, and inform are often the focus of the ActGREEN project team. In addition to regular project team meetings, we also make use of the benefits provided through the NetZeroCities consortium. We frequently organize meetings to prepare cooperation for upcoming educational activities, gather information, and identify suitable speakers for upcoming webinars on financial sustainability, nature‑based solutions, and other project activities. Each webinar is also an opportunity to meet colleagues who can assist in preparing consortia and identifying partners within the NZC, EUI, and Urbact IV networks. Through frequent online meetings, our visibility is strong, and our activities make us an interesting city capable of replicating its knowledge in project processes, legislation, courtyard greening, project management, and other elements that ensure long‑term sustainability.
Some of the activities include:
- Networking with the Portuguese city of Cascais regarding knowledge‑sharing and interest in the courtyard greening process (24 November).
- Participation in the conference Climate‑Resilient Cities: A Path to a Sustainable Future (25 November), organized by DOOR - Society for Sustainable Development Design, together with NZC colleagues Vlatka Berlan Vlahek and Miljenko Sedlar.
- Participation in the panel conference "Green Urban Infrastructure as Imperative and Challenge" (25 November), organized by IMPULS Consulting.
- NZC thematic meeting on district heating with examples from Espoo, Lund, and Pécs (26 November).
- NZC meeting on financial sustainability and support from BwB and EBRD (27 November).
- Networking with the Finnish city of Tampere (28 November).
- ActGREEN project team meetings (28 November and 1 December).
- Meeting with REGEA and NZC colleagues on additional BwB support (2 December).
- NZC thematic meeting on the built environment with examples from Helsinki and Oslo (3 December).
- Sensemaking webinar for cohort 2 cities, pilots, and twin cities (4 December).
- Networking with Budapest District V (4 December).
- Webinar with key ActGREEN partners and stakeholders (5 December).
Through all these activities, the City of Zagreb and its project partners form a strong team capable of offering its project processes and insights as a near‑ready model to other cities interested in greening, nature‑based solutions, and decarbonisation. There is significant interest in future cooperation within Horizon Europe, EUI, and Urbact IV from Ljubljana, cities in Montenegro and North Macedonia, Budapest, Bucharest, Latvia, Finland, Norway, and others.
With the support of the ActGREEN project team and NZC consortium colleagues — energiecities, demsoc, ICLEI — Zagreb is visible and recognized as a desirable partner city.
Thank you for your support and cooperation in implementation.
