UNALAB · Project

Proven Nature-Based Solutions to Make Cities Climate- and Flood-Resilient

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Imagine your city keeps flooding every time there's heavy rain, and heatwaves are getting worse each summer. Instead of just building bigger drains, UNALAB tested a different idea across 10 cities: use green infrastructure — rain gardens, urban wetlands, green roofs — to let nature handle the water and cool things down. They set up real demonstration sites in Tampere, Eindhoven, and Genova, measured what actually works, and built digital planning tools so other cities can figure out where to put these solutions and what they'll cost.

By the numbers

cities where solutions were demonstrated or roadmapped

front-runner cities with physical installations (Tampere, Eindhoven, Genova)

follower cities adopting the approach

consortium partners

countries represented in the consortium

project deliverables produced

industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities across Europe face escalating costs from urban flooding, heat islands, and deteriorating water quality — problems that traditional grey infrastructure alone cannot solve cost-effectively. Municipalities need evidence-backed, replicable green solutions but lack the data, planning tools, and citizen engagement methods to justify the investment. Without proven demonstration cases and digital planning support, cities default to expensive concrete-and-pipe approaches that fail to address the root climate adaptation challenge.

The solution

What was built

The project built physical nature-based solution demonstration sites in 3 front-runner cities (Tampere, Eindhoven, Genova) covering urban ecological water management and greening measures. It also produced an internet-based Spatial Decision Support Tool (SDST) with geovisualization and simulation, installed on touch tables for public use, plus a replicable NBS toolbox with roadmaps applied across all 10 participating cities. In total, 31 deliverables were produced.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal water and climate adaptation departments looking for proven green infrastructure solutionsSmart city solution providers needing a validated planning and simulation toolboxLandscape architecture and green infrastructure firms seeking evidence to sell nature-based projectsUrban development consultancies advising cities on climate resilience strategiesWater utilities exploring alternatives to expanding traditional drainage infrastructure

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Water Management

enterprise

Target: Water utilities and stormwater management companies

If you are a water utility dealing with increasing urban flooding and aging drainage infrastructure — this project demonstrated nature-based water management solutions across 3 front-runner cities (Tampere, Eindhoven, Genova) that reduce flood risk while cutting grey infrastructure costs. The tested approaches include urban ecological water management combined with greening measures, validated with real-world performance data from 10 cities across 14 countries.

Urban Planning & Smart Cities

any

Target: Smart city solution providers and urban planning consultancies

If you are a smart city consultancy struggling to quantify the benefits of green infrastructure for municipal clients — this project built an internet-based spatial decision support tool with geovisualization and simulation capabilities, installed on touch tables in front-runner cities. The tool lets planners simulate different nature-based solution scenarios before committing budgets, backed by evidence from 31 deliverables across 10 demonstration cities.

Landscape Architecture & Green Infrastructure

SME

Target: Landscape engineering and green roof companies

If you are a green infrastructure company that needs evidence to convince municipalities to invest in nature-based solutions over traditional concrete — this project created a replicable toolbox tested in 3 front-runner and 7 follower cities with diverse climates and socio-economic conditions. The co-creation methodology and roadmapping approach give you a proven process to engage citizens and decision-makers in 14 countries.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these nature-based solutions in our city?

The project data does not include specific per-unit costs for the nature-based solutions. However, UNALAB explored innovative financing models as a core research theme, meaning the consortium developed business cases and funding strategies that cities can adapt. Contact the coordinator for access to the financing toolbox.

Can these solutions work at the scale of a full city, not just a pilot zone?

UNALAB was designed for scalability from the start. Solutions were demonstrated in 3 front-runner cities and then roadmapped for 7 follower cities across vastly different conditions — from Nordic Tampere to subtropical Buenos Aires and Hong Kong. The 10-city evidence base covers diverse sizes, climates, and socio-economic realities.

What intellectual property came out of this project and can we license it?

The project produced 31 deliverables including an internet-based spatial decision support tool (SDST) with geovisualization capabilities. Based on available project data, the SDST application and the NBS toolbox are the main licensable outputs. IP arrangements would need to be discussed with the coordinator VTT, a Finnish research organization.

Does this comply with EU climate adaptation regulations?

UNALAB directly addresses EU urban climate resilience goals and was funded under the Smart Cities topic (SCC-02-2016-2017). The nature-based solutions approach aligns with the EU Green Deal and climate adaptation strategy. The evidence base from 10 cities provides the kind of documented performance data regulators increasingly require.

How long does it take to see results after implementing these solutions?

The project ran from June 2017 to November 2022, a period of over 5 years, which included design, installation, and monitoring of demonstration sites in 3 front-runner cities. Based on available project data, the living lab approach means solutions were monitored over multiple seasons to capture real performance data across varying weather conditions.

Can we integrate the planning tools with our existing city GIS systems?

The project built an internet-based SDST application with geovisualization tools and simulation capabilities. The touch-table installations in front-runner cities suggest the system can work with local spatial data. Based on available project data, integration specifics would need to be discussed with VTT, but the web-based architecture suggests compatibility with standard geospatial formats.

Consortium

Who built it

The UNALAB consortium is notably large at 35 partners across 14 countries, giving it one of the broadest geographic footprints in the smart cities space. With 15 industry partners (43% industry ratio) and 6 SMEs, the project had strong commercial involvement alongside 5 universities and 2 research organizations. The consortium was led by VTT, Finland's top applied research center with deep expertise in urban sustainability. The 13 "other" partners likely include municipalities and city authorities — the actual buyers of these solutions. The international spread from Argentina to China signals that the solutions were designed to work across very different urban contexts, not just Western European conditions.

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYCoordinator · FI
COMUNE DI GENOVAparticipant · IT
LULEA TEKNISKA UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
DWA BVthirdparty · NL
EUROPEAN NETWORK OF LIVING LABS IVZWparticipant · BE
Stavanger kommuneparticipant · NO
TC BASAKSEHIR BELEDIYESIparticipant · TR
EUROPEAN REGIONS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION NETWORKparticipant · BE
INFRASTRUTTURE RECUPERO ENERGIA AGENZIA REGIONALE LIGURE - I.R.E. SPAparticipant · IT
LAND ITALIA SRLparticipant · IT
RAMBOLL FINLAND OYparticipant · FI
RINA CONSULTING SPAparticipant · IT
AYUNTAMIENTO DE CASTELLON DE LA PLANAparticipant · ES
INSTITUT PLANOVANI A ROZVOJE HLAVNIHO MESTA PRAHYparticipant · CZ
UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIROparticipant · PT
GEMEENTE EINDHOVENparticipant · NL
TAMPEREEN KAUPUNKIparticipant · FI
FUNDACIO GENERAL DE LA UNIVERSITAT JAUME I FUNDACIO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGARTparticipant · DE
ENGINEERING - INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA SPAparticipant · IT
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENparticipant · NL
HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITYparticipant · CN

How to reach the team

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland — search for UNALAB project lead at VTT to find the coordinator contact

Order a report on this consortium See TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the UNALAB team for licensing their planning tools or replicating their nature-based solutions? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help you evaluate the fit for your city or business.

Order a report on this topic More in Environment & Climate