SciTransfer
CLEARING HOUSE · Project

Decision Tools Helping Cities Deploy Urban Forests to Solve Environmental Challenges

environmentTestedTRL 5Thin data (2/5)
clearinghouseproject.eu

Cities worldwide are realizing that planting trees isn't just about looking nice — it's a serious engineering tool for cooling streets, absorbing floods, and improving air quality. This project studied 10 cities across Europe and China to figure out what actually works when cities invest in urban forests, and what doesn't. They built online decision-support tools and benchmarking systems so city planners and businesses can compare approaches, pick the right tree-based solutions, and avoid expensive mistakes. Think of it as a "TripAdvisor for urban greening" — evidence-based ratings on what tree strategies deliver real results.

By the numbers
10
Case study cities tested across Europe and China
26
Partner organizations in the consortium
12
Countries represented in the research
22
Total project deliverables produced
The business problem

What needed solving

Cities face mounting pressure to adapt to climate change, manage flooding, reduce heat islands, and improve air quality — but they lack evidence-based tools to decide which tree-based solutions actually work and where to invest. Urban planners and developers are often guessing when it comes to green infrastructure, risking expensive projects that underdeliver on environmental and social outcomes.

The solution

What was built

The project built an online decision-support application, a global benchmarking tool for comparing urban forest strategies, screening tools for exploratory case study analysis, and guidance documents for co-designing urban tree solutions with local communities. These were validated across 10 case study cities in Europe and China, producing 22 deliverables in total.

Audience

Who needs this

Urban planning and landscape architecture firms bidding on city greening contractsProperty developers integrating green infrastructure to meet regulations or boost valueEnvironmental consultancies advising municipalities on climate adaptationMunicipal urban forestry and parks departmentsGreen infrastructure technology providers and smart city platforms
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Planning & Landscape Architecture
SME
Target: Landscape architecture and urban design firms

If you are an urban design firm competing for city greening contracts — this project developed decision support tools including an online application and a global benchmarking tool tested across 10 case studies in Europe and China. These tools let you back your proposals with cross-continental evidence on which urban forest strategies actually deliver ecosystem services, giving you an edge over competitors who rely on guesswork.

Real Estate & Property Development
mid-size
Target: Property developers integrating green infrastructure

If you are a property developer required to meet urban green space regulations or wanting to boost property values through nature-based solutions — this project created guidelines and evidence from 26 partner organizations across 12 countries on how tree-based ecosystems improve urban wellbeing. You can use their benchmarking data to justify green infrastructure investments to investors and municipal authorities.

Environmental Consulting
any
Target: Environmental and sustainability consultancies

If you are a consulting firm advising municipalities on climate adaptation and green infrastructure — this project produced 22 deliverables including screening tools and guidance documents for co-designing urban forest solutions with local communities. Their comparative data from 10 European and Chinese cities gives you ready-made evidence to support your advisory work on biodiversity, resilience, and ecosystem services.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access or license these decision tools?

Based on available project data, the tools — including the online application and global benchmarking tool — were developed under EU public research funding (RIA scheme). This typically means outputs are publicly accessible. However, commercial use, integration into proprietary platforms, or customized deployments may require a licensing arrangement with the European Forest Institute (coordinator).

Can these tools work at industrial scale for a large city or metro region?

The tools were tested across 10 case studies spanning European and Chinese cities, which suggests they handle diverse urban scales and governance contexts. The 26-partner consortium across 12 countries contributed multi-continental evidence, but adapting the tools to a specific mega-city would likely require local data calibration.

Who owns the intellectual property — can we build products on top of this?

As a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action, IP is typically retained by the consortium members, coordinated by the European Forest Institute in Finland. Commercial licensing or co-development partnerships would need to be negotiated directly with them.

Does this meet current EU and municipal green infrastructure regulations?

The project directly addressed governance and policy drivers for urban forest solutions, with dedicated work packages on policy analysis and Sino-European science-policy symposia targeting senior decision-makers. Their guidelines were designed to align with urban planning regulatory contexts across 12 participating countries.

How long before we could deploy these tools in a real project?

The project ran from 2019 to 2024 and is now closed, meaning the tools are finalized. The online application and benchmarking tool exist as completed outputs. Deployment timeline depends on your specific city context and data availability, but the tools themselves are ready for use.

Can these tools integrate with existing city planning software?

Based on available project data, the online application was designed as a standalone decision-support tool. Integration with GIS platforms or existing municipal planning systems is not explicitly documented in the deliverables. You would need to discuss technical compatibility with the development team.

Consortium

Who built it

The 26-partner consortium spans 12 countries including both European nations (AT, BE, CH, DE, ES, FI, FR, HR, IT, PL) and China/Hong Kong, giving the results genuine cross-continental credibility. However, the business relevance is limited: only 1 industry partner and 2 SMEs (4% industry ratio), with the consortium dominated by 9 universities and 9 research organizations. This is a heavily research-driven project coordinated by the European Forest Institute in Finland — a recognized authority in forestry but not a commercial entity. For a business looking to adopt these tools, expect to work with academic partners rather than commercial vendors.

How to reach the team

European Forest Institute (Finland) — search for CLEARING HOUSE project coordinator at EFI

Order a report on this consortiumSee EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to know if these urban forest tools fit your city project or green infrastructure bid? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the research team and help you evaluate the commercial potential.

Order a report on this topicMore in Environment & Climate
More in Environment & Climate
See all Environment & Climate projects →
Satellite-Based Water Quality Monitoring That Replaces Expensive Manual Sampling
EOMORES
Open →
Autonomous Water Drones That Collect Waste From Harbours and Waterways
WasteShark
Open →
Cloud Software That Maps the Seafloor from Satellite Data for Offshore and Coastal Companies
4S
Open →