The European Commission’s Horizon Europe program, an ambitious €95 billion research and innovation initiative launched in 2021, has identified the continent’s urban fabric as a primary site for climate adaptation. Central to this effort is ReGreeneration, a transnational consortium led by C40 Cities that brings together nine municipalities, research institutions, and design firms like ARUP to rethink the fundamental mechanics of the neighborhood.
The project operates on the premise that the traditional European city—characterized by dense masonry and rigid infrastructure—is increasingly at odds with a warming climate. To maintain livability, the consortium argues for a shift toward "urban renaturing," an approach that integrates ecology directly into the built environment. This is less about the aesthetic addition of greenery and more about a systemic overhaul of how public health, infrastructure, and neighborhood-scale design intersect.
By uniting nine distinct cities, the ReGreeneration initiative aims to create a scalable blueprint for the "complete neighborhood." As climate pressures accelerate, these urban centers serve as living laboratories for testing how biological systems can assist overtaxed gray infrastructure in managing heat and water. The goal is a transformation of the urban landscape from a passive recipient of climate stress into a resilient, self-sustaining system.
With reporting from ArchDaily.
Source · ArchDaily
