URWAN 3rd Living Lab: the final step towards mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions

Malta landscape ©Pixabay

Malta, 11–13 February 2026 | Waterfront Hotel, Sliema

The URWAN project is reaching a crucial milestone with the organisation of its third and final Living Lab, which will take place in Malta from 11 to 13 February 2026 at the Waterfront Hotel in Sliema. This event marks the concluding phase of a collaborative journey aimed at strengthening the role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in urban regeneration and sustainable water management across the Euro-Mediterranean area.

Co-funded by the INTERREG Euro-MED Programme, URWAN demonstrates how multifunctional and community-driven NbS can offer concrete and inclusive responses to climate change, urban sprawl and water scarcity. The Malta Living Lab will focus in particular on the long-term uptake, transfer and mainstreaming of URWAN results, ensuring that the tools and knowledge developed throughout the project can be effectively reused and scaled up by local authorities and stakeholders beyond the project’s lifetime.

The Living Lab will open on 11 February with an internal working session reserved for project partners and associated partners. This first moment will be dedicated to the validation of the URWAN Enabler Pack and its Checklist, combining reflective discussions with interactive exercises based on the experiences of URWAN cities. Particular attention will be given to identifying strategies to avoid the so-called “drawer effect”, transforming project outputs into practical and usable instruments for policy and practice.

In the afternoon of the same day, and throughout 12 February, the Living Lab will open to external stakeholders, including municipalities, experts and practitioners. These sessions will focus on improving and refining the Enabler Pack, both in terms of content and format, through a participatory approach. A central role will be played by the Green Rooftop case study, which will be analysed from the policy, design and implementation perspectives and complemented by a dedicated site visit. Participants will be actively involved in assessing user needs, testing the tools and contributing to their final adaptation.

The event will conclude on 13 February with the URWAN Partner Meeting, a full-day internal session dedicated to coordination activities, project closure and discussion of future perspectives and legacy actions.

The Living Lab is addressed to municipalities, policy makers, technical staff, experts, practitioners and all stakeholders interested in urban regeneration, water-sensitive planning and Nature-based Solutions. The working language of the event will be English.

More than a workshop, the URWAN Living Lab in Malta is conceived as a space for real collaboration and co-creation, where knowledge exchange, practical experimentation and strategic dialogue will contribute to strengthening alliances and supporting the mainstreaming of NbS into urban policies and practices throughout the Mediterranean area.

The event will take place at the Waterfront Hotel, located in Triq Ix-Xatt, Tas-Sliema, Malta.

URWAN looks forward to welcoming partners and stakeholders to Malta for this final Living Lab, a key step towards ensuring the lasting impact of Nature-based Solutions for more resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities.

Participants are kindly invited to register by 6 February 2026 via the online registration form here available (mandatory)