URBAN GREENUP LEGACY:

International Conference AND
MINI-HANDBOOK PROJECT PRESENTATION

29th March 2023 | Valladolid

A one-day international URBAN GreenUP event will be held in Valladolid on the 29th March to celebrate the success of the project, after 6 years of cooperation, support and progress towards the developing, application and replications of Renaturing Urban Plans in cities to fight against climate change through Nature-based Solutions. The URBAN GreenUP International Conference will provide a forum to share theknowledge, the experiences acquired throughout the execution of the project, and the legacy of the project. It will be a place where national and international Nature-Based Solution experts can create synergies and set up a joint future based on what they have learned in the past.

The meeting will take place in the city center. Several NBS projects and NBS experts will be invited to take part in the event in different sessions. At the same time, and because cities belong to them, citizens will also have a place in the forum where they will learn about the importance of re-naturalizing cities from a social, economic, environmental and health and well-being point of view. After the event, part of the afternoon will be dedicated to a technical site visit, where participants will be able to learn more about the NBS interventions carried out in Valladolid and visit the city. The day will finish with a networking cocktail.

29th of March 2023 – URBAN GreenUP International Conference

1

Venue

08:00 h. – 09:00 h.

Registration

09:00 – 09:15 h.

Welcome by organisers
Raúl Sánchez – URBAN GreenUP project coordinator – CARTIF

09:15 – 09:45 h.

Conference opening
Ángela Rivada – Coordinator of economic development and european programmes
Sergio Sanz Hernando – Deputy General Director – R&D Programmes Manager – CARTIF

09:45 – 10:05 h.

Keynote speaker: The post-2020 policy context and the opportunity for NBS
Paola Lepori – Policy Officer – Biodiversity & Nature-based Solutions at European Commission

10:05 – 10:20 h.

Greening cities initiatives in EU – Benjamin Caspar
Greening Cities: Latest developments in Urban Nature and Biodiversity policy

10:20 – 10:40 h.

Keynote speaker: Nature Based
Opportunities – the right time for
positive messaging
Clive Davies – School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape,
Newcastle University | CLEARING HOUSE project at European
Forest Institute

10:40 – 11:00 h.

The NBS Observatory
Andrés Alcántara – IUCN

11:00 h. – 11:30 h.

Coffee break

11:30 – 11:45 h.

URBAN GreenUP Legacy: outcomes and project mini-handbook presentation
Raúl Sánchez – URBAN GreenUP project coordinator – CARTIF

11:45 – 12:15 h.

URBAN GreenUP Front-Runners cities impact s& outputs.
Juliet Staples – URBAN GreenUP partner – Liverpool City Council
Esra Demir – URBAN GreenUP partner – Demir Enerji – Izmir City Council
Rosa Huertas – URBAN GreenUP partner – Valladolid City Council

12:15 – 13:00 h.

Roundtable 1. Joint legacy of the NBS
projects.
Moderated by Laura Palomo Ríos – European Research Executive Agency. Unit REA.B3 – Biodiversity, Circular Economy and Environment
Laura Wendling – Unalab Project Coordinator – VTT Technical
Research Centre of Finland
Stuart Connop – Connecting Nature project – Co-director –
Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) – University East London (UEL)
Gemma García – GrowGreen project – Tecnalia
Raúl Sánchez – URBAN GreenUP project coordinator – CARTIF
Stuart Connop – Connecting Nature project – Co-director –
Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) – University East London (UEL)
Gemma García – GrowGreen project – Tecnalia
Raúl Sánchez – URBAN GreenUP project coordinator – CARTIF

13:00 h. – 14:00 h.

Lunch break

14:00 – 14:15 h.

Keynote speaker: NBS contribution to Biodiversity, EC Handbook and Cases Studies.
Stuart Connop – Co-director – SRI – UEL
Esther San José – URBAN GreenUP Team – CARTIF

14:15 – 14:30 h.

Keynote speaker: Recovering contact with nature
Paul Nolan – Director – The Mersey Forest

14:30 – 15:00 h.

Roundtable 2 – URBAN GreenUp
replicability and NBS opportunities Moderated by Thami Croeser – RMIT University
Elisa Parisi– Municipality of Mantova (Italy)
Andrés de las Alas – Ayuntamiento de Fuenlabrada (Spain)
Trinh Tran Duc – Quy Nhơn City (Vietnam)
Andrea Gonçalves – Évora (Portugal)

15:00 – 15:30 h.

Roundtable 3 – Let’s share our city experience!
Moderated by Isabel Sánchez – Valladolid City Council
Pilar Muñoz – Diputación de Badajoz (Spain)
Mihaela Gheorghe – GMV Innovating Solutions (Romania)
Jesús Muñoz – Real Jardín Botánico – CSIC (Spain)
Sarah Bekessy – RMIT University Melbourne (Australia)

15:30 – 15:40 h.

Goodbye / conference closing
Rosario Chávez – Councillor – Municipality of Valladolid

15:40 – 16:00 h.

Conclusions and thank you from organisers
Raúl Sánchez – URBAN GreenUP project coordinator – CARTIF

16:00 – 17:30 h.

Technical field visits
NBS implementation areas Tour (organised by Valladolid City Council)

We will take a walking tour through the city centre visiting some of the naturebased solutions implemented in Valladolid within the URBAN GreenUP project. The starting point will be at the international event, the Convent of Agustinos Filipinos, and we will finish in the urban centre. The tour will be fully guided explaining both the NBS and some historical-touristic points of interest in the city. The visit is entirely on foot, it does not have any physical difficulties and will last a maximum of 1.5 hours.

17:30 h.

End of first day URBAN GreenUP international conference

19:30 h.

Networking cocktail | Reception and cocktail at “La Leyenda del Pisuerga”

The networking cocktail will be at «La Leyenda del Pisuerga», aboard a pleasure boat that will navigate the Pisuerga River in the city. With 25 meters in length and two floors, it is inspired by the boats that crossed the Mississippi River in the XIX century. The reception will be at 19:00 h at the pier located on Playa de Las Moreras. The sailing tour covers 13 km round trip and will last approximately 1,15 hour. After the tour, the boat will remain docked. The cocktail will be served on board. It will begin on the return journey. Punctuality is very important so that the boat can leave on time, benefiting the last sunny hours of the day.

Please register to attend the Urban GreenUP International Conference using this form:

 
Conference Guided tour of Valladolid Boat trip: Legend of the Pisuerga River with cocktail included 19:30h (duration 1h and 30 mins.)  In compliance with the regulations on protection of personal data (EU Regulation 2016/679 and in the Organic Law 3/2018), we inform you that your data will be processed in accordance with such regulations being the basis of legitimacy your consent. You can find all related information on the website https://www.urbangreenup.eu/privacy-notice/privacy-policy.kl If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact rausan@cartif.es I consent to receive information related to CARTIF is activities and other third party outreach activities via electronic means.
 

Registration is free and will be open until the maximum venue capacity is reached.

Registration for the Urban Green Up Conference is now closed.

Arriving in Valladolid

The most convenient ways to reach Valladolid are:

  • By plane to Valladolid (‘Villanubla’ airport):
    «Villanubla Airport» (VLL) is located some 15kms from Valladolid. It is a small airport and, unfortunately, regular direct international flights are no longer operating. In some limited cases, you may find suitable international connection flights with Vueling (www.vueling.com) via Barcelona. Ryanair also provides flights to Valladolid from Barcelona although they do not offer connecting flights.
  • By plane to Madrid (MAD):
    From most destinations your best option is travelling to Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and then to V alladolid by high-speed train (called AVE, ALVIA and AVANT). This is the best option as these trains take just around 50-65 minutes. Please check the timetable and buy your tickets in www.renfe.es (strongly recommended) or directly at Chamartín Railway Station. Booking in advance is recommended, since seats are sometimes limited (trains might be full) and prices might go up. Please keep in mind that tickets are personal and can only be reinbursed or changed if you choose the relevant fee.

From Madrid-Barajas airport to “Madrid - Chamartín Clara Campoamor” Railway Station you can go by:

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Cercanías, line C1 (train). [ONE WAY: 2,60€] Departs from airport Terminal4 (T4) twice an hour approximately.
Travel takes about 12 minutes. There is a free shuttle bus which connects T4 with the other terminals (journey
time: 10 minutes). http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/

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“Metro” -underground-, [ONE WAY: 5€]. You can take the metro from any terminal in the airport, and take line 8
and then 10 (the easiest connection). Chamartín Railway Station (“Chamartín”) is also a metro stop. Travel takes
around 40 minutes, but it might vary. Tickets can be bought at the airport. You can check the map and other
conexions in the web page: https://www.metromadrid.es/en

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By taxi [Fixed rate to/from airport is 30€]
Alternatively, you can hire a car (around 2h30 from Madrid-Barajas to Valladolid).

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By bus [Prices vary depending on service, usually around 15-20€]
There are regular buses throughout the day. You can check the timetable and book your ticket at www.alsa.es,
through their phone app, or directly at the airport bus station, but booking in advance is also recommended.
The journey takes 2,5 hours. These buses leave from T4 in Barajas
(https://www.alsa.es/aeropuertos/madrid-barajas) or from the stations in the city.

Meeting venue

The International Conference will take place at the
Real Colegio Seminario de los Padres Agustinos,
Paseo De Filipinos 7, 47007 Valladolid. Google maps
location: https://goo.gl/maps/sXvP5YZfZEzRHu2N7.

Acommodation

We have a list of recommended hotels in close proximity (walking distance) to the city center:

It takes around 15 minutes walking from the City Centre to the meeting venue.

Raúl Sánchez
URBAN GreenUP project coordinator - CARTIF

Technical Forest Engineer by the University of Valladolid (2003). Master´s degree in Research in Agroforestry Development Engineering by the University of Valladolid. Master of Advanced Studies, Department of Economics, Sociology and Politics (2010), University of Valladolid.
... [leer más]

Pilar Muñoz
Diputación de Badajoz

Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Master's Degree in Environmental Resources Management by the University of Extremadura. Since 2019, she is working as Head of the Sustainable Development Goals, Alliances and Projects Unit of the Rural Development and Sustainability Area at Badajoz Provincial Council. Previously, she worked as Head of the Project Design Unit and Head of the Strategic Analysis and Financing Unit at the same entity.
... [leer más]

Andrés Alcántara
IUCN

Andrés Alcántara has been working at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation since its creation in 2000 and is the coordinator of the SbN observatory in Spain. He has coordinated the IUCN Mediterranean stand: “Mediterranean Solutions” at the IUCN World Congress held in Marseille focusing his activity on NbS.
... [leer más]

Clive Davis
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University

Clive Davies is an academic at Newcastle University UK and a consultant working with EFI, FAO and EC. Clive is a specialist in urban forestry, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
... [leer más]

Mihaela Gheorghe
GMV Innovating Solutions

Is an Earth Observation Engineer and a Project Manager with more than 7 years of experience in remote sensing. She is working in the Remote Sensing & Geospatial Analytics (RSGA) Division, which centralizes the vast majority of GMV’s background and experience in the post processing of EO data for added-value applications, including urban green management, waste monitoring, mining, as well as high resolution reference mapping for security.
... [leer más]

Paul Nolan
Director – The Mersey Forest

Paul has been involved in community forestry for over 25 years, and for much of that time as Director of The Mersey Forest. This long-term plan and programme of environmental regeneration aims to get “more from trees”, using trees and woodlands to provide a wide range of benefits.
... [leer más]

Laura Wendling
Unalab Project Coordinator – VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Dr Laura Wendling is a Senior Scientist and leader of the Nature-Based Solutions team at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and a docent in soil and water management at Aalto University. She defended her doctoral dissertation in 2004 at Washington State University (USA) on the topic of geochemical interactions affecting caesium mobility and phytoavailability in soils.
... [leer más]

Stuart Connop
Co-Director –Sustainability Research Institute (SRI). University East London

Dr Stuart Connop is an Associate Professor in Sustainability and Co-Director of the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of East London in the UK. Stuart's research focuses on nature-based solutions with a specific focus on balancing multifunctionality in design and performance with biodiversity value.
... [leer más]

Esther San José
URBAN GreenUP Team - CARTIF

Forestry Engineer (2009) and Master's Degree in Environmental Management and Technology (2012) by the University of Valladolid. She developed her professional career as Environmental Technician, and Trainer and developer of on-line multiplatform GIS courses by the General Foundation of the University of Valladolid.
... [leer más]

Rosa Huertas
URBAN GreenUP partner - Valladolid City Council

Director of the Area of Innovation, Economic Development, Employment and Commerce of the Valladolid City Council. Senior civil servant with a Law degree and Master in Public Communication. She is in charge of this important area, in which the economic development of Valladolid is driven through innovation, employment, and entrepreneurship.
... [leer más]

Elisa Parisi
Municipality of Mantova

Elisa Parisi works at the Municipality of Mantova (Italy). She is specialized in Environmental Science and is the referent for the Carbon Neutrality of Mantova.
... [leer más]

Isabel Sánchez
Valladolid City Council

Architect from the University of Valladolid, Master's Degree in Sustainable Architecture and Energy Efficiency by the Ramón Llull University of Barcelona, and studies in Master's Degree in Energy: Generation, Management and Efficient Use at the University of Valladolid.
... [leer más]

Trinh Tran Duc
Quy Nhơn City

Trinh is a researcher working in the field of natural resources management and development. He has been participated in different research projects to explore and improve the intricate connection between natural and build environment (in this case is urban setting) as a part of a system dynamic evolution.
... [leer más]

Andrea Gonçalves
Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alentejo Central (CIMAC)

She holds a degree in Architecture, since 2003 (Faculdade de Arquitetura de Lisboa, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa), and a PhD degree in Architecture, since 2015 (Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa), with the thesis “Positive Synergetic Processes for an Urban Regeneration Strategy. A Case Study: the City of Évora”.
... [leer más]

Andrés de las Alas
Ayuntamiento de Fuenlabrada

General Director of Sustainable Development of the Fuenlabrada City Council. He leads the urban regeneration projects, the Fuenlabrada 2030 Urban Agenda and the planning of the city

Paola Lepori
Policy Officer for Nature-based Solution, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission

Paola is a Policy Officer for Nature-based Solutions at the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation. Before joining the biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions team in 2022, she had been working in the field of environment for 6 years, including in DG Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, as a communication officer. In Italy, Paola worked as desk news and writer for newspapers focusing on international affairs, writing in-depth analyses on current and environmental affairs. Her academic background is in international relations, and international cooperation with a focus on the Middle East. Her academic research brought her from Italy to the UK, Jordan, Syria and Australia.

Sergio Sanz Hernando
Deputy General Director – R&D Programmes Manager – CARTIF

Juliet Staples
URBAN GreenUP Liverpool City Council

Berna Ataman
URBAN GreenUP Izmir City CouncilF

Laura Palomo Ríos
European Research Executive Agency. Unit REA.B3 – Biodiversity, Circular Economy and Environment

Laura Palomo Rios is a Project Adviser at the European Research Executive Agency, where she follows a portfolio of R&I projects on biodiversity and nature-based solutions funded by Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe. She has a background on environmental research and has worked both in Europe and EEUU, focusing her investigations on the ecology and nutrient dynamics of estuaries and saltmarshes. She has also worked with NGOs and international organizations on environmental and climate related issues, supporting the link between research and implementation/policy activities.

Jesús Muñoz
Real Jardín Botánico - CSIC

Senior Researcher at the Royal Botanic Garden (Madrid, CSIC), an institution where he was Director between 2014 and 2018. His research focuses on four main research lines: (1) taxonomy and systematics of bryophytes, (2) modeling distributions and long-distance dispersal of organisms, (3) optimization of protected area networks, and (4) nature-based solutions. He has published more than 100 scientific papers and (co-)authored 14 books or book chapters on these topics. He has also supervised eight doctoral theses and 26 Master's theses. Between 2008 and 2013 he was the director of the official UIMP-CSIC master's degree "Biodiversity in Tropical Areas and its Conservation", which was taught in Ecuador.

Sarah Bekessy
RMIT University Melbourne (Australia)

Rosario Chávez
Councillor. Municipality of Valladolid

Thami Croeser
RMIT University

Gemma Garcia
Blanco Researcher in the Department of Energy, Climate and Urban Transition in TECNALIA

Gemma Garcia- Blanco Researcher in the Department of Energy, Climate and Urban Transition in TECNALIA. BA in Geography (University of Oviedo) and MSc in Environmental Sciences (University of East Anglia, UK). PhD student on Doctoral Programme in Social, Political and Cultural Studies (University of the Basque Country). Research interests and experience on climate resilient and nature-positive spatial and urban planning.

Ángela Rivada
Coordinator of economic development and european programmes

Telecommunications Engineer and Economist with more than 20 years of experience in Project Management, focused on innovation and technology. She has a master’s degree in European Project Management. She is responsible for coordinating Smart City Projects at the Valladolid City Council. She worked for the Microsoft Innovation Centre - Mobility Solutions, searching for innovative solutions and opportunity assessments. She also worked at the Business Innovation Centre of Castilla y León. She has participated in the design, analysis and coordination of multiple initiatives and projects focused on innovation applied to cities, mainly in the field of sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, the environment, and ICT. She has participated in multiple European innovation projects. She has also participated as a speaker in several national and international Smart City conferences.

Benjamin Caspar
Greening cities initiatives in EUA

More speakers to be confirmed soon

Technical field visits

We will take a walking tour through the city centre visiting some of the naturebased solutions implemented in Valladolid within the URBAN GreenUP project. The starting point will be at the international event, the Convent of Agustinos Filipinos, and we will finish in the urban centre. The tour will be fully guided explaining both the NBS and some historical-touristic points of interest in the city. The visit is entirely on foot, it does not have any physical difficulties and will last a maximum of 1.5 hours.

Networking Cocktail

The networking cocktail will be at «La Leyenda del Pisuerga», aboard a pleasure boat that will navigate the Pisuerga River in the city. With 25 meters in length and two floors, it is inspired by the boats that crossed the Mississippi River in the XIX century. The reception will be at 19:00 h at the pier located on Playa de Las Moreras (Google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/HZdzSMACqTD9ZLCf7). The sailing tour covers 13 km round trip and will last approximately 1,15 hour. After the tour, the boat will remain docked. The cocktail will be served on board. It will begin on the return journey. Punctuality is very important so that the boat can leave on time, benefiting the last sunny hours of the day.

Emergency numbers in Spain:
– Pan-European emergency number: 112
– Local police: 092
– Fire brigade: 080 or 085
– National police: 091

Covid-19 restrictions:
For general information about Covid-19 in Spain, please visit the Ministry webpage:
https://www.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov/home.htm

Contact information:
Raúl Sánchez Francés (Main contact, CARTIF)
rausan@cartif.es | +34 983 546 504 / +34 696 614 883

Esther San José Carreras (CARTIF)
estsan@cartif.es | +34 983 546 504

Bárbara Díez (CARTIF)
bardie@cartif.es | +34 983 546 504

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730426

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