Urbag

01/01/2019 -

31/12/2025

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2024 – 2025 BiodivTransform

Topics: , ,

Urban sites can implement green infrastructures to encourage food production, promote air quality and temperature, and reduce environmental impact.

Context

The EU-funded URBAG project will investigate how urban and peri-urban green infrastructures can contribute to urban sustainability. It will assess which combinations of urban and peri-urban agriculture and green spaces have the best performance on local and global environmental impact. URBAG will establish a geo-referenced land use model considering urban morphology and defining life cycle impacts. Analysis will also comprise an integrated spatially-temporally resolved system for quantitative analysis and simulation of green infrastructures for determining their direct and indirect effects on the atmosphere. The two case study cities of Oslo and Barcelona will be used to test the integrated approach.

"Integrated System Analysis of Urban Vegetation and Agriculture"

Main objectives

The main objective of URBAG is to evaluate which combinations of urban and peri-urban agriculture and green spaces result in the best performance in terms of local and global environmental impacts. More specifically, the project aimed to assess the potential of optimising urban vegetation and agriculture in terms of nutrient, water, and energy use while accounting for urban morphology and life cycle impacts; to analyse the direct and indirect effects of vegetation and urban agriculture on the urban and regional atmosphere (air quality, temperature, greenhouse gases); and to provide urban planners and policymakers with guidance and tools for creating green infrastructure strategies that meet sustainability targets, avoid unintended environmental consequences, and promote equitable social benefits.

Main results

Since the project concluded in 2025, several key results are available. The European Commission’s CORDIS service highlighted the project’s findings under the title “Prioritising integrated, vulnerability-focused urban greening,” underscoring key conclusions about the complexity of green infrastructure.

Among the scientific outputs, the team published research on leveraging circular nutrients to improve the sustainability of peri-urban agriculture, on the effects of land use changes and urban greening on air quality, and on strategies to reduce urban heat and vulnerability in a warming climate.

Research also explored pathways to circular and regenerative urban agriculture through stakeholder-informed approaches, and the project developed a practical Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) guide for city planners, available on the project website.

Website and resources

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