The final conference of the
ActGREEN project - Activating Green Courtyards for Carbon Neutrality was held in Zagreb, with around 100 participants. The program brought together representatives of the City of Zagreb (various city offices and institutions founded by the City of Zagreb, which contributed to better connectivity within the city's structures, information was shared, common spaces were used, we enabled a participatory approach and inclusion in workshops and educational events and other colleagues from the city with very similar and compatible activities and we achieved a synergistic impact of visibility;
Zagreb Development Agency,
Andrija ŠtamparTeaching Institute of Public Health, ZICER, guests and experts in the field of landscape architecture and nature-based solutions, representatives of cities such as
Križevci, Pula, Karlovac... residents of green courtyards from the City of Zagreb pilot project and the ActGREEN pilot project and other interested citizens - with a clear message: climate resilience is built systematically, through a series of smaller, connected interventions.
The final conference of the ActGREEN project was held on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 9:30 to 16:00, in Zagreb in the premises KRAŠ on the Plains 48. The conference was moderated by
Magdalena Makar from ODRAZ according to the conference program.
The ActGREEN project (activating green courtyards for carbon neutrality) was implemented in cooperation with the
City of Zagreb (the lead agency is the
City Office for Physical Planning, Construction of the City, Utility Services and Transport and the city office coordinator is the
City Administration General Secretariat) with the
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture,
Croatian Association of Landscape Architects and
ODRAZ, within the European platform and program
NetZeroCities funded by the
Horizon Europe program as part of the
European Commission initiative and the
Mission Cities program.
Final conference of the ActGREEN project;
In the introductory part, the following addressed the audience:
Nebojša Ivančević, project manager (City of Zagreb); A
ctGREEN-presentation of final activities, replicability and sustainability-23.04.2026.
Irena Matković, Deputy Head of the
City Office for Physical Planning, Construction of the City, Utility Services and Transport (City of Zagreb);
ActGREEN - green courtyards for carbon neutrality
Vlatka Berlan Vlahek, city advisor and representative of the
Energy Cities / NetZeroCities consortium
Why ActGREEN? - from the yard to the climate infrastructure;
In the opening address, it was pointed out that the consequences of climate change are increasingly being felt in neighborhoods, streets and yards, which is why cities are becoming a key level of action.
In this context, the ActGREEN project encouraged the green transformation of urban yards, the development of nature-based solutions, and the involvement of citizens in the creation of more sustainable communities.
The implementation model that does not rely exclusively on the city budget, but combines European funds, partner investments and a participatory approach - which enables faster implementation of pilot interventions and strengthening of local capacities for climate neutrality - is particularly emphasized.
As part of the project, the project team of the ActGREEN project, in addition to the activities of project management, and the part related to pilot works, landscape solutions and the execution of works in yards, conducts educational activities in the field of nature-based solutions, with a participatory approach, including citizens, applicants to the public call for greening, and education aimed at sustainability, maintenance and financial sustainability of the implemented project activities.
Professional program: landscape and nature-based solutions;
An expert framework and a broader view of the importance of landscape solutions in the development of greener and more resilient cities, with a review of experiences from the ActGREEN project, was given by
Associate Professor Ph.D. Iva Rechner Dika (University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture);
ActGREEN-presentation of final activities, replicability and sustainability-23.04.2026.
Respected international experts participated in the professional part dedicated to landscape and solutions based on nature:
In the debates, it was pointed out more than once that the landscape is the foundation of urban resilience, not an “ornament” or aesthetic addition - especially in cities exposed to heat waves and extreme precipitation.
