The CARDIMED project proudly participated in the 12th edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO 2025), held from 25 to 27 June in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Hosted by ICLEI Europe, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and the City of Rotterdam, EURESFO is one of Europe’s flagship events in the field of urban climate resilience. Since 2013, it has brought together city leaders, researchers, and practitioners to accelerate action on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and nature-based urban transformation.
This year, CARDIMED was represented by project partners from NTUA (Theocharis Nazos and Andriani Galani), BIOAZUL (David Salaberri), Region Sud (Marie Caroline Vallon), and ICLEI Europe (Elena Petsani).
The CARDIMED team had the opportunity to connect with stakeholders and exchange knowledge through several key activities. Notably, CARDIMED shared a common stand in the EURESFO Marketplace with the RECREATE project, which focuses on enhancing urban resilience through alternative water sources. This joint presence provided a space to discuss synergies between both projects and to showcase CARDIMED’s mission to implement and scale up Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across the Mediterranean.
In addition to its presence in the Marketplace, CARDIMED also took part in the official programme of the forum. On 26 June, the project featured in the thematic session titled “From Practice to Policy: Innovating Water Resilience through Nature-based Solutions (NbS)”, where Marie Caroline Vallon from Region Sud presented DEMO 5, one of CARDIMED’s key demonstration sites in Marseille.
The presentation focused on micro-forests and unsealed soils implemented at the St Charles and St Jérôme campuses of Aix-Marseille University (AMU). These interventions aim to improve stormwater infiltration, reduce urban heat, and enhance biodiversity, while also serving as learning and engagement spaces for students and the local community. The Marseille demonstration exemplifies how NbS can respond to multiple urban challenges while also being rooted in a research and innovation context.
The forum offered a unique platform for CARDIMED to engage with other EU-funded projects, policymakers, regional representatives, and technical experts working on similar goals. Over the course of three days, more than 400 participants from 150 cities and 40 countries took part in 22 interactive sessions, networking moments, technical visits, and co-creation workshops. Key themes included:
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Scaling up Nature-based Solutions in diverse urban and peri-urban contexts
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Managing extreme weather risks, especially heat and floods
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Local governance and community engagement for resilient transformation
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Financing adaptation and unlocking systemic change
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Data-driven approaches and climate services for decision-making
EURESFO 2025 made clear that the need for systemic, inclusive, and locally-led resilience strategies has never been more urgent. For CARDIMED, this was a valuable opportunity to share the Mediterranean experience, explore policy pathways for mainstreaming NbS, and forge connections for future cooperation with cities, regions, and other projects.
