On October 29, 2025, Make it Better participated in the Arrábida Zero Emissions roundtable at the Centro Cultural Costeiro de Sesimbra, an event dedicated to exploring Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for resilient cities and strategies for financing, planning, and community engagement. During Panel 1 – Planning and Community Engagement in NBS Projects, José Nunes from Make it Better presented the URWAN – Urban Regenerative Water Avant-gardeN project, highlighting its mission to promote climate adaptation through innovative green-blue infrastructure and participatory design processes.
The presentation emphasized the lessons learned from the initial phases of URWAN, including the importance of co-design and stakeholder involvement, the role of pilot actions in Portugal, particularly the Start Park initiative at Cuba School Cluster, which engages students, teachers, and families in transforming the school’s outdoor space into a climate-resilient area, and how URWAN aligns with the principles of the New European Bauhaus, combining sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.
Make it Better also shared the next steps for URWAN, inviting all participants to learn about the most relevant outputs and activities of the project, such as the Start Park process delivering a co-designed plan for a multifunctional green space, the NBS Catalogue, already available for consultation, and the upcoming Enabler Pack, a tool that will help municipalities and stakeholders replicate nature-based solutions across the Mediterranean.
The roundtable brought together municipalities, energy agencies, and private actors to discuss how NBS can address climate challenges locally. URWAN’s approach demonstrates that community-driven design is key to creating spaces that are not only sustainable but also socially inclusive and educational.
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- Roundtable at the Centro Cultural Costeiro de Sesimbra
