proGIreg · Project

Turning Abandoned Industrial Land Into Profitable Green Spaces With Proven Methods

environmentPilotedTRL 7

Imagine old factory districts — polluted soil, no green spaces, neighborhoods in decline. This project tested practical ways to clean up that contaminated ground using biological methods, then turn those dead zones into urban farms, aquaponics systems, and accessible green corridors. They ran real-world experiments in 4 cities (Dortmund, Turin, Zagreb, Ningbo) with 40 partners, and 4 more cities in Southern and Eastern Europe adapted the results for their own plans. The goal was not just greening — it was building business models that make these green spaces financially self-sustaining.

By the numbers

Living Labs with running nature-based solutions deployed

consortium partners across the project

countries represented in the consortium

follower cities with urban plans for NBS deployment

total project deliverables produced

SMEs involved in the consortium

front-runner cities with full Living Lab deployments

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities across Europe are stuck with former industrial land that is polluted, abandoned, and dragging down surrounding neighborhoods. Traditional cleanup is expensive and produces no ongoing value — the land just sits there. Meanwhile, these same cities face growing demand for green spaces, local food production, and climate adaptation, but lack proven methods to combine land remediation with revenue-generating green infrastructure.

The solution

What was built

The project built and operated 4 Living Labs in Dortmund, Turin, Zagreb, and Ningbo with running nature-based solutions including biological soil regeneration, community urban agriculture, aquaponics systems, and renatured river corridors. They produced 47 deliverables including implementation plans for all 4 sites, business models for financial sustainability, training programmes, and MOOCs distributed via EdX.

Audience

Who needs this

Property developers managing brownfield or post-industrial sitesMunicipal urban planning departments in cities with derelict industrial zonesEnvironmental remediation and consulting firmsUrban agriculture and aquaponics startups looking for proven deployment methodsLandscape architecture firms designing green infrastructure projects

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Real Estate & Urban Development

mid-size

Target: Property developers or land remediation firms managing brownfield or post-industrial sites

If you are a property developer sitting on former industrial land that nobody wants to buy — this project piloted biological soil regeneration methods across 4 Living Labs in 3 countries that turn contaminated brownfields into productive green assets. Their 40-partner consortium tested market-ready business models for making these spaces generate revenue through urban agriculture and community use, not just cost money to clean up.

Urban Agriculture & Aquaponics

SME

Target: Companies operating or planning commercial urban farms or aquaponics facilities

If you are an urban agriculture company looking for proven site preparation and community integration methods — this project deployed community-based urban agriculture and aquaponics systems in post-industrial areas of Dortmund, Turin, and Zagreb. With 9 SMEs in the consortium and 47 deliverables covering implementation, they produced replicable plans for setting up food production on formerly unusable urban land.

Environmental Consulting & Engineering

any

Target: Environmental consultancies advising municipalities on land remediation and green infrastructure

If you are an environmental consultancy advising cities on what to do with derelict industrial zones — this project created implementation plans and monitoring data from 4 Living Labs across 10 countries. Their results are available on the EU platforms OPPLA and THINKNATURE, giving you evidence-backed methods for soil regeneration using biotic compounds and nature-based solutions that you can propose to municipal clients.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these green infrastructure solutions on our site?

The project data does not disclose per-site implementation costs. However, the consortium developed market-ready business models designed to make nature-based solutions financially self-sustaining through urban agriculture and community co-ownership. Contact the coordinator to discuss cost structures from the 4 Living Lab deployments.

Can these solutions work at industrial scale on large brownfield sites?

The project tested solutions across 4 Living Labs in Dortmund, Turin, Zagreb, and Ningbo — real urban post-industrial areas, not small test plots. With 4 additional follower cities (Cascais, Cluj-Napoca, Piraeus, Zenica) adapting the approach, there is evidence of replicability across different city sizes and contexts.

What is the IP situation — can we license or use these methods?

This was an EU Innovation Action with 40 partners including 9 SMEs. Results and monitoring data are published on the open EU platforms OPPLA and THINKNATURE. Training programmes and MOOCs were distributed via EdX. Specific IP terms would need to be discussed with the coordinator at RWTH Aachen.

How long does the soil regeneration process take to show results?

The project ran Living Labs from 2018 to 2023, giving over 5 years of implementation and monitoring data. Based on available project data, the biological soil regeneration using biotic compounds was tested over this full period. Specific timelines per soil type should be requested from the consortium.

Do these solutions meet EU environmental regulations?

The project contributed results to the European reference framework for nature-based solutions and published on official EU platforms OPPLA and THINKNATURE. The consortium included 6 universities and 6 research organizations providing scientific assessment and monitoring, which supports regulatory compliance documentation.

Can this integrate with existing urban development projects we have underway?

The project specifically designed solutions for co-development with local communities and municipal authorities — not as standalone interventions. Implementation plans were created for 4 cities with different contexts, and the training programme covers cooperative planning, implementation, and management of nature-based solutions.

Consortium

Who built it

The proGIreg consortium is unusually large at 40 partners from 10 countries, which signals serious cross-border validation of the approach. With 10 industry partners and 9 SMEs (25% industry ratio), this is not purely academic — real businesses were involved in testing commercial viability. The 6 universities and 6 research organizations provided scientific rigor, while the 18 "other" partners likely include municipalities and civil society organizations critical for real-world deployment. The coordinator, RWTH Aachen, is one of Germany's top technical universities with strong industry transfer capabilities. The geographic spread from Germany and Italy to Croatia, China, Portugal, Romania, Greece, and Bosnia shows the solutions were tested across very different economic and climate contexts.

RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHENCoordinator · DE
CITTA' METROPOLITANA DI TORINOthirdparty · IT
EMAC EMPRESA MUNICIPAL DE AMBIENTEDE CASCAIS EM SAparticipant · PT
INSTITUTE OF URBAN ENVIRONMENT, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCESparticipant · CN
GRAD ZAGREBparticipant · HR
SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU ARHITEKTONSKI FAKULTETparticipant · HR
DIMOS PEIRAIAparticipant · EL
AGENZIA REGIONALE PER LA PROTEZIONE AMBIENTALE DEL PIEMONTEthirdparty · IT
FUNDACION PRIVADA INSTITUTO DE SALUD GLOBAL BARCELONAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINOparticipant · IT
ZENICKA RAZVOJNA AGENCIJA ZEDA DOOparticipant · BA
ASOCIATIA DE DEZVOLTARE INTERCOMUNITARA ZONA METROPOLITANA - CLUJparticipant · RO
ACEA PINEROLESE INDUSTRIALE SPAthirdparty · IT
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
COMUNE DI TORINOparticipant · IT
URBASOFIA SRLparticipant · RO
POLITECNICO DI TORINOparticipant · IT
STARLAB BARCELONA SLparticipant · ES
STADT DORTMUNDparticipant · DE
FACHHOCHSCHULE SUEDWESTFALENparticipant · DE
ICLEI EUROPEAN SECRETARIAT GMBH (ICLEI EUROPASEKRETARIAT GMBH)participant · DE
FONDAZIONE LINKS - LEADING INNOVATION & KNOWLEDGE FOR SOCIETYthirdparty · IT
FONDAZIONE DELLA COMUNITA DI MIRAFIORI ENTE FILANTROPICO E.T.S.participant · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BARI ALDO MOROparticipant · IT
PARCO SCIENTIFICO TECNOLOGICO PER LAMBIENTE ENVIRONMENT PARK TORINO SPAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

RWTH Aachen University (Germany) — reach the project coordination team through the university's urban development or environmental engineering department

Order a report on this consortium See RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to know which proGIreg solutions fit your brownfield site or city district? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partners and provide a tailored briefing on applicable results.

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