Ten European cities are delivering a range of socially innovative blue-green infrastructure (BGI) pilots through the BEGIN cross-border project. Initiatives such as building green corridors and sustainable urban drainage systems are helping cities respond to extreme weather, while boosting community cohesion and improving the environment. As well as making participating cities healthier and better places to live, the project is reducing flood risks by up to 30 %.
- 10 May 2021
‘BEGIN is demonstrating effective climate change adaptation solutions through blue-green infrastructure (BGI) in urban areas. It is mainstreaming BGI into urban planning by developing financially feasible business cases and overcoming governance barriers.’
BEGIN has united citizens and stakeholders through the development and regeneration of public spaces in the following cities: Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium; Aberdeen, Enfield and Bradford and Kent county in the United Kingdom; Dordrecht in the Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Bergen in Norway, cooperating within the Interreg North Sea programme.
The project has implemented 34 BGI pilots with an estimated value of EUR 347 million – with another EUR 100 million foreseen – and an estimated reduction in flood impacts of more than EUR 17.9 million.
Lasting impact
BEGIN’s approach is included in city master plans and investment programmes worth more than EUR 1 billion. Additionally, the project has contributed to national and regional policies such as the Netherlands’ new Environmental and Planning Act, the Norwegian Climate Adaptation Programme, and the UK Climate Change Act.
More than 5 700 stakeholders – mostly citizens – helped co-create the BGI projects and establish permanent ‘living labs’ to test and assess the initiatives. BEGIN collaborated with world-leading designers and social scientists to co-create its pilots, engage communities and create long-term relationships.
The project ‘peer-trained’ participants through a transnational city-to-city exchange programme. Expert teams have been on hand to ensure efficient implementation of the BGI schemes.
Popular schemes
In Dordrecht, a central park corridor was created linking nature parks, green spaces, active mobility routes and sports facilities. Local residents repurposed the area to provide services such as cycling routes and urban farms.
In Antwerp, citizens created temporary ‘garden’ streets to trial various designs: the most well-received is now a permanent part of the city.
BEGIN facilitates partnerships between public bodies and citizens. A successful example is Enfield in North London, where Coca-Cola is involved in maintaining a wetland through its corporate social responsibility programme. Meanwhile local school students are enjoying nature through open-air classrooms.
BEGIN has combined BGI with other planned investments in infrastructure and urban development. For example, in Bradford, the Shipley Canal Road scheme has been enriched with a parallel blue-green scheme at no extra cost.
The combination enabled experimentation and learning, starting with showcasing BGI solutions at small individual locations and later along the entire corridor.
Beneficiaries
‘I feel I have a very meaningful job in Jubileumsparken. I have made many friends and met so many interesting people! It's very cool that people can visit the natural swimming pool and sauna, go sailing and do all the other activities for free. This is the best job I've had!”
A Gothenburg youth who was employed as a park host (from an anonymous evaluation)
‘While BEGIN started as technical flood management, it became a vision and approach for our city’s transformation: to green and blue our city and use it to promote and facilitate active and future mobility. A liveable city.’
Anjes Tjarks, Senator for traffic and mobility change, Hamburg
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “BEGIN: Blue Green Infrastructure Through Social Innovation” is EUR 8 818 774, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 4 409 386 through the “Interreg North Sea Region (NSR)” Cooperation Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.