Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B NEXT Black Sea Basin

Date of latest update: 2025-09-26

Description

Description (EN):

The project is tackling the common challenge of the Black Sea Basin's area and actually globally: climate change and especially its heat-stress effect that are more sensitive and strong in the urban areas. Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time and its impacts are being felt more and more especially in the urban areas. As the global climate warms, cities are facing frequent and extreme heat waves that have significant impact on society, including a rise in heat-related deaths. For sure the cities are at the frontline of climate change. Though cities are a big driver of planet-warming emissions, they are also engines of climate action and at the forefront of delivering solutions. Green Climate Change adaptation solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB: Green Urban Resilience project is a tool for cross-border cooperation aiming development of sustainable green climate solutions to promote adaptation to climate change and their integration into the planning work of local authorities, supported not only by the infrastructural green restoration, but also from the scientific knowledge and expertise of the landscape, urban planning and forest experts who will actually transfer the academic intelligence to the local sustainable planning and action, by development of the international LANDLAB, services to all target countries. Cities and towns are not investing in green infrastructure. In order to reduce heat islands and create climate-resistant green cities, local municipalities should cooperate, work on combating climate change in line with the realistic and sustainable strategies, that includes clear information about the current heat-stress and thermal discomforts of the citizens and are based on the green/blue urban infrastructural solutions for mitigating the urban warming. In this cooperation project the PPs aim to respond to these needs and to make resilient Europe and BSB by sharing joint academic intelligence in the green urban sustainable planning, provide communities with accessible green infrastructure and a better environment for healthy, sustainable and resilient cities, as well as to reduce the increasing risk from heat and its consequences. The main project outputs will be capitalization of the European experience in measuring of the urban heat -stress and application of this knowledge in the BSB's cities and regions through establishing International Urban LANDLAB servicing to all regions and guiding them in development of Heat Resilient Strategies as a part from the planning measures that the local policy makers are taking in the climate change adaptation. Four target cities: Uzunkopru, Sozopol, Tbilisi and Kavala will receive the expertise of the LANDLAB for measuring their heat-stress and evaluating the thermal discomfort of the citizens on the basis of the joint approach. Based on this measure they will receive their Heat-stress maps and clear view of their warming and the need of the green/blue infrastructural solutions. The expertise of the LANDLAB will support these cities for elaboration of their Heat Resilience Strategies by preparing a Planning Pathway tool. The tool will be a roadmap for all policy makers in the Black Sea Basin presenting main steps for elaboration of sustainable Heat Resilient Strategies. Case studies such as green recovery initiatives - practice-based examples of heat stress interventions in public spaces in three target areas will be done: Uzunkopru town will decrease the heat-stress by establishing the first urban community garden with a center for public-awareness and capacity building in green sustainability. Sozopol town's nature-friendly pedestrian alley will be built as a part of the socialization of the park territory. There a rainwater collection facility will be built, which will be used to water new afforestation and build flower patches. Kavala will demonstrate green sustainability by introducing the circularity in green resources and attempts a small change and the local climate conditions, planting trees for shading in one of the most affected areas by climate change, namely the Faliro junction road and Ergatico Kentro Square urban corners that share the same characteristics as areas with high density, absence of trees or vegetation, and urban spaces that facilitate ad hoc parking spaces instead of serving as public spaces in use for recreational activities. All green initiatives will be in line with the New European Bauhaus policy: inclusive and sustainable. Capacity building of local environmental and planning experts in heat-measuring will be made by realization of joint heat-walks and workshops. Training for trainers and local training will be done as a tool to emphasize the importance of the local communities, citizens in the fight against climate change and promoting the importance of green spaces. Strong involvement of the community will be ensured by a work with the local initiative groups at each project stage.

Actual Achievements (EN):

This report is including the first implementation period of the project from end of July to end of November 2024. The partners established their staff team members and the LP has a main role in ensuring joint work platform, coordination and cooperation of the team members. The LP has prepared a project implementation plan, ensured joint google drive project folder and made three online team meetings between the partners and including organized one in -person kick -off meeting in Türkiye. All partners worked for the communication of the project at local level and coordination their activities with the local stakeholders and initiative groups. The partners worked mainly under Act 1.1. Under this first activity they realized three online work meetings for clearly understand the joint methodology of their work that they should follow. All partners reached local target groups and two initiative group members - internal and external group members by starting campaign for the opinion and evaluation the awareness of the locals about the climate change, heat island effect, the efforts of the local authorities in mitigating of this, etc. Including with this all partners worked on the review of the policy context in their target areas. The achieve information for the existing plans, urban development strategies, other strategies of the 4 target municipalities - Uzunkopru, Sozopol, Batumi and Kavala and made a short presentations shared during the kick -off meeting in Türkiye. These information will be included in the joint report, that will be prepared in English, consisting of the results from the local surveys that are ongoing in each country. The results of the survey will be analysed by the PP2 - LandLab experts. The report will be prepared during the nezt reporting period. The LP, PP2 and PP5 successfully realized their launching press conferences at local level. The PP3 and PP4 are working on their tender procedures for the realization of these launching conferences. Communication with the general target groups were done by local publications - in local newsletters, social media and the web sites of the partner institutions. Initiative groups' meetings will be realized during next reporting period. The LP has organized one initial meeting with internal and external initiative group members presenting them the project and its expected results. But more specific meetings with the initiative groups will be done by the LP and other partners during the second project implementation period. Project implementation is continue according to the implementation plan by all project partners. The partners have good established collaboration and are discussing and managing all project steps jointly. During this reporting period the LP has organized two online team meetings with the project partners for the general review of the project activities and planning of the upcoming one. All project partners have finalized the launched survey among the internal and external initiative groups and citizens about the climate change, heat stress and green urban areas. The questionnaires were completed in all four target countries and the LANDLAB experts have prepared a detailed analyses of its results, summarized in the joint report for the current situation under the Act 1.1. The project partners finalized their launching press conferences and meetings with the initiative groups. PP3 organized two meetings with the initiative groups. First meeting was held on 20.03.2025 with the external initiative group and second was held on 21.03.2025 with the internal initiative group. An opening press conference was also held in Sozopol, Bulgarian by PP3 during the reporting period on 20.03.2025.

Project outputs: Cross-border cooperation and joint tool for climate change mitigation, especially in the urban areas of the BSB. (EN)
Developed Pathway Planning Guide for local policy makers and implementation joint methodology for elaboration of the first Heat Resilient Strategies of four target cities(EN)
Implementation of Green Recovery Actions for Heat-stress resilient cities in the BSB(EN)
Jointly Capacity Building and Cooperation Events for Green Future of the BSB(EN)

Thematic information

Urban development Climate change and biodiversity

Priority: (VI-B_BSB_P2) Clean and Green Region

Priority specific objective: RSO2.4. Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 060 Adaptation to climate change measures and prevention and management of climate related risks: others, e.g. storms and drought (including awareness raising, civil protection and disaster management systems, infrastructures and ecosystem based approaches)

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Uzunköprü Belediye Başkanlığı

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 884951953

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 9030052650 | N/A | N/A (EN)

Address: Cumhuriyet Mahallesi, 19 Mayıs Blvd , 22200 Uzunkopru, Turkey

Department address: Cumhuriyet Mahallesi, 19 Mayıs Blvd , 22200 Uzunkopru, Turkey

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://uzunkopru.bel.tr/

Total budget: EUR 306 144.12

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 275 529.70

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 90.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 30 614.42

Contractors:

Name: SYS BILISIM -CIGDEM CAKIR
VAT registration or tax identification number: 23302744588
Name: ERH Muhendislik Danismanlik
VAT registration or tax identification number: 3590320665

ΔΗΜΟΣ ΚΑΒΑΛΑΣ

Name: ΔΗΜΟΣ ΚΑΒΑΛΑΣ

Department: EU programmes department

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 950974712

Partner’s ID if not PIC: EL-997582067

Address: KYPROU STR, 65302 KAVALA, Greece

Department address: KYPROU STR, 65302 Kavala, Greece

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.kavala.gov.gr

Total budget: EUR 314 194.80

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 282 775.32

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 90.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 31 419.48

Contractors:

Name: PANAGIOTOPOULOU G. & CO G.P.
VAT registration or tax identification number: 081920546
Name: GOUNARIS N.-KONTOS K. L.P.
VAT registration or tax identification number: 999970164

ქალაქ ბათუმის მუნიციპალიტეტის მერია

Name: ქალაქ ბათუმის მუნიციპალიტეტის მერია

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 881569466

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 245576826 | N/A | N/A (EN)

Address: L. Asatiani st. N25, , 6010 Batumi, Georgia

Department address: L. Asatiani st. N25, 6010 Batumi, Georgia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://batumi.ge/ge/

Total budget: EUR 132 303.36

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 119 073.02

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 90.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 13 230.34

Община Созопол

Name: Община Созопол

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 893006445

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BG000057236 | 000057236 | Unified Identification Code (EN)

Address: Han Krum sqr., 8130 Sozopol, Bulgaria

Department address: Han Krum sqr., 8130 Sozopol, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.sozopol.bg

Total budget: EUR 323 439.60

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 291 095.64

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 90.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 32 343.96

Contractors:

Name: DMI DEVELOPMENT Ltd.
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG201557566
Name: Doktor Vetko 1, Ltd.
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG102918862
Name: PEPI 02, Ltd.
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG203600276
Name: Geographica, Ltd.
VAT registration or tax identification number: BG200062954

İstanbul Üniversitesi - Cerrahpaşa

Name: İstanbul Üniversitesi - Cerrahpaşa

Department: Faculty of Forestry Department of Landscape Architecture

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 905484913

Partner’s ID if not PIC: TR4690969823 | N/A | N/A (EN)

Address: Avcilar Campus, Baglarici BLVD, 34320 Avcılar/İstanbul, Turkey

Department address: Valide Sultan Caddesi No:2, 34473 Bahcekoy/Sariyer- Istanbul , Turkey

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.iuc.edu.tr/tr/_

Total budget: EUR 214 107.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 192 696.30

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 90.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 21 410.70

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Δήμος Καβάλας

Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Partners and Projects info

City Hall of Batumi Municipality

Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Sozopol

Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Partners and Projects info

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Partners and Projects info

Uzunkopru Municipality Administration

Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Project acronym: Green Urban Resilience

Project ID: BSB00006

Project start date: 2024-07-24

Project end date: 2026-09-23

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

The New European Bauhaus (EN) | The project combines initiatives relating to the ensuring healthier, inclusive, accessible, resilient and green species for the citizens. The investment activities and all planning, training and capacity building activities, implemented in the frame of cross-border and cross sectoral cooperation is aiming increasing vegetation and green spaces, providing shade structures and water misting, using reflective building materials, and incorporating sustainable and water-sensitive design practices into urban planning and new developments. In the frame of the project the PPs will make joint investment for the development more sustainable areas - leading to the decreasing of the warming in the cities and supporting the climate goals; aesthetic areas - development functional, style green areas for the citizens and inclusion areas - promoting equality to all, accessibility and community importance.
In Uzunkopru the Community Garden and Climate Promotion Park will be established where local citizens will be trained and be a part from the sustainable learning practices of the municipality - the citizens will have urban gardens, where could apply resilient gardening and vegetation. (EN), The Covenant of Mayors initiative (EN) | The Project partners will cooperate for joint capacity building and exchange of knowledge as a members of the Covenant of Mayors Initiative on Climate Change Adaptation. The Sozopol, Kavala, Uzunkopru and Batumi municipalities - target areas are engaged cities in taking action to adapt to climate change. The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy aims to increase support for local activities, provide a platform for greater engagement and networking by cities, and raise public awareness about adaptation and mitigation and the measures needed. All this cooperation and joint action for reduction of the heat effect in the frame of the project will enchase the cross-border cooperation in the frame of the Covenant of Mayors. (EN), Net Zero Cities Project: funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036519. (EN) | NetZeroCities supports cities selected to be part of the EU’s Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities” with a dedicated platform providing online resources and tailored, in-person support. Till now 53 cities from across twenty-one European Union and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries have been selected to explore and implement pathways to decarbonisation by deploying possible innovation and transformation solutions, related to climate-issues, in city systems and at city level, through the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme. In the frame of the current project actually the target cities and the other stakeholders from the Black Sea Basin will be informed about the project and its initiative, twinning actions and all available tools and mechanisms such as developed one-stop-shop. Additionally the current project Green Urban Resilience will integrate the full local ecosystem of actors in the city - including citizens, civic groups and policy makers, by their positively engagement in the efforts of the target cities to climate and willingness to make it a priority. (EN), The EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change portal: Climate-ADAPT is a platform for sharing and integrating information on adaptation to climate change (EN) | The project Green Urban Resilient and established LANDLAB for heat stress measuring, mapping and modeling in the targeted cities of the Black Sea Basin will share its achieved data and achieved information on adaptation to climate change. There will be established synergy and cooperation between the LANDLAB activities and the European Climate and Health Observatory that actually is managing the Climate - ADAPT platform. Till now there is no existing information for the countries outside of the EU, including the project target cities as Sozopol and Kavala, which are the cities for the EU member countries. By this way the sharing data and information about the made research and project actions and results on the Climate - ADAPT platform will provide huge networking and visibility, cross-border and cross-sectoral cooperation and exchange of methods, solutions and tools for climate change adaptation. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 290 188.88

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 161 169.98

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 90.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Infrastructure investments:

I1.3 - Uprooting, transport, planting of trees-Kavala, GR - EUR 121 000.00 - country: Elláda (EL), town: Kavala, street: El.Venizelou & 7 Meraschia str & 34, Kapsali str, 7, postal_code: 65302, Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki (EL51), Thasos, Kavala (EL515)

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

SeaBasinStrategyBlackSea The project will have an indirect effect to the CMA for the Black Sea, in the frame of supporting regional cooperation for a more sustainable Blue Economy in the Black Sea. Thought the project a sustainable partnership will be established between five independent organizations, and cross -border cooperation will be established, who will combine sources and knowledge for taking important steps in the climate change adaptation by green investments and increasing public awareness for the ensuring green future in the Black Sea Basin. The project activities will support the CMA for the Black Sea especially in the joint efforts for delaying the elevation of temperatures due to the climate change, that will have an positive effect on the healthy coastal ecosystem and lead to the healthy marine. The target areas of the activities are urban areas, from which the Sozopol Municipality is directly located at the Black sea coast, and all established knowledge and mindset in the local policy makers to integrate into long-term strategies the green recovery actions and to make the Black Sea Basin more environmentally sustainable through nature-friendly investments in long-term will directly lead to the successful terrestrial climate adaptation steps and results that will have an positive effect to the marine and coastal areas. The research, learning and investment activities especially in Sozopol Municipality, will have a direct effect to the coastal area of the Black Sea and will lead to increasing the awareness of the human impacts to the Black Sea. The people and local authorities will learn more for the climate change and its effects and learn how to make their activities more sustainable and ensure the resilient of their cities through green actions.
EUStrategyAdriaticIonianRegion The project directly will support the Pillar 3 aiming good environmental and ecological status of the marine and coastal environment. The Project partner 5 Kavala Municipality is a Greek Municipality, which project actions will support the EUSAIR by implementation of green renovation and sustainable activities and capacity building and public awareness activities.
EUStrategyDanubeRegion The project will support the EU strategy through participating of the Bulgarian partner in the Project. Bulgaria is one of the participating countries in the EU Strategy. The project will have a direct effect and support the Pillar 2 PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, Priority area 4, action 6: CLIMATE CHANGE: Promote measures
to adapt to climate change impacts in relation to
water quality and quantity. The made green renovation activities in the town of Sozopol will plan to be ensured irrigation of the green areas with the rainfall water, that will be collected in small area. Thus will ensure reusing of the natural resources - rainfall water and will effect the quantity of the fresh water in the area. Will support also Priority Area 5 Environmental Risks, Action 4: Decrease human impacts that evolves natural risk factors resulting in environmental damages - the local people and the local authorities will have knowledge how their actions is leading to the environmental damages and will be trained and learned how to plant and mitigate with the green areas, gardens, etc. with aim to ensure resilient cities. The project activities will support also PILLAR 3: BUILDING PROSPERITY, PA 9 People and Skills, by organizing training for the lifelong-learning and achieving skills in sustainable planting. Also, the project will ensure support to the PILLAR 4: STRENGHTENING THE REGION - PA 10
Institutional Capacity and Cooperation, ACTION 8: To enhance capacities of cities and municipalities to facilitate local and regional development.
Other European Green Deal and EU Adaptation Strategy: The project is fully in line with the four principle objectives of the EU Adaptation Strategy: to make adaptation smarter, swifter and more systemic, and to step up international action on adaptation to climate change. The project propose smarter adaptation steps - the project will ensure involving of the climate adaptation experts - academicians, that as a frontiers of knowledge will provide clear, robust data about the existing UHI effects in the target areas and provide clear proposals how to mitigate these increasing temperatures through right landscaping and green planning. The project will provide faster adaptation solutions - infrastructural green recovery actions will be done, that will lead to the resilience of the cities. The Action will ensure systemic approach - will cover not only local policy makers, but also local and regional environmental agencies' experts and most important will spread knowledge among the people engaged with the green species maintenance and general public. The project will ensure increasing effectiveness, through international cooperation, joint financing and joint engagement of the partners.

Deliverable (other than infrastructural investment) areas:

Türkiye (TR), Uzunkopru, Cumhuriyet Mah. Ornek Str, N/A, 22200
Bulgaria (BG), Sozopol, St. Marina , N/A, 8130

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:
RCO 115 - Public events across borders jointly organised, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 084 - Organisations cooperating across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:
RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSAIR

EUSAIR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSAIR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B NEXT Black Sea Basin

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-09-26

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

42 / 42 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

189 / 189 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Green Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Smart and Resilient Cities in BSB

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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