CARDIMED has been very active at the New European Bauhaus Festival. The festival happened in Brussels from the 9th to the 13th of April in Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Arts & History Museum and online.
During the Festival there were interactive sessions, workshops, demonstrations, and artistic performances and even a sustainable fashion-show! Visitors were discovering and experiencing the innovative power of Europe in building a common future that is not only visually stunning but also mindful of our collective well-being.
We had an exhibition stand at the festival, where Alexandra Tsatsou, Tadej Stepisnik (both NTUA) Tina Katika (ICCS) and Niki Frantzeskaki (UUtrecht) were sharing the vision of CARDIMED with hundreds of visitors. For the New European Bauhaus, we also exclusively tested the very first version of the Augmented Reality mobile application with several funky features. For example, users were able to visualize how Nature-based Solutions could look like at different contexts, or – following the hints of Aris (application’s virtual assistant), they were interacting surrounding objects, learning about sustainability practices. We even had an augmented photo-booth!
Initiative
The New European Bauhaus initiative is a creative and interdisciplinary movement that aims to connect the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. The initiative wants to act as a bridge between the world of science and technology, art, and culture.
The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is inspiring the Europeans to imagine their future BEAUTIFUL! And it aims to steer the sustainable transition along three core valued:
- Sustainability
- from climate goals to circularity, zero pollution, and biodiversity
- Aesthetics
- quality of experience and style beyond functionality
- Inclusion
- from valuing diversity to securing accessibility and affordability
CARDIMED & the New European Bauhaus
CARDIMED fully embraces the values of the NEB!
Aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality
People find natural areas beautiful and appealing. In urban planning and design, incorporating aesthetically pleasing natural elements such as nature-based solutions (local parks, green roofs, and green walls) can improve the overall visual appeal of cities. These green spaces contribute to a better quality of life, attract residents and visitors and even show restorative and therapeutic benefits for people. Its not only about functionality – NBS project recognise the deep connections between people and the natural world.
To achieve the main goal of CARDIMED – to mainstream NBS, quality of experience beyond functionality is crucial to consider and is taken into account when working with all 20 involved communties.
To name just a few examples:
– water reuse system on Myconos will be designed according to unique landscape architecture of the island,- flood protection of along Andrea Doria Avenue (the main avenue in Catania) will be enhanced with aesthetic rainwater garden,
– heat island effect around St Charles railway station of Marseile will be ameliorated by unsealing soil and planting 300 trees with edible fruits,
– along the restored area of Gediz delta in izmir, an educational green route for cyclists and pedestrians will be developed, which will include nature puzzles, a nature classroom in the sea, wooden platforms, salty wetland plains, bird watching towers.
Inclusion
Nature-based solutions – the core of CARDIMED project – are important from the perspective of inclusion and equity for various demographic groups, including youth, women, people with disabilities, and minorities.
Here is why:
– Youth: NBS projects can provide opportunities for youth engagement and participation in environmental conservation and restoration efforts. It educates them about environmental issues but also empowers them to take an active role in shaping a more sustainable future.
– Gender Equality: NBS can promote gender equality by recognizing and addressing the unique roles and needs of women in natural resource management and conservation.
– People with Disabilities: Nature-based solutions should be designed to be inclusive, allowing people of all abilities to engage with and benefit from natural environments.
Value of inclusion is interwoven in the core of CARDIMED and will be taken into account in all DEMO local contexts. This is especially reflected in Sicily and Aragon – where NBS will be implemented in primary schools, in Marseile – where implementation will take place in student campus and public spaces, Aegean Islands – where majority of population lives in ageing small, Sardinia – where youth will be engaged through a smart-game communities, Izmir – where local women cooperative depends on weaving wicker out of autochthonous Juncus plant and Nicosia – where greening will enrich public spaces and children playgrounds.
Sustainability
NEB’s value of sustainability is strongly expressed at all DEMO sites:
– DEMO1 will support the Regional Climate plan for the North and South Aegean, to increase the water reserves from alternative sources, reduce CO2 emissions, increase biodiversity and climate resilience.
– DEMO2 in Central Greece will enable substantial water efficiency improvements and demonstrate NBS on industrial sites, at regional scale.
– DEMO3 will accelerate Sardinia’s regional CO2-zero transition in a systemic way, in line with the regional climate change strategy through replicable NBS and technical solutions and serious game.
– DEMO4 contributes the improvement of the quality and availability of water,by developing NBS for water treatment and reuse, to fight the impacts of droughts and floods.
– DEMO5 in Marseille focuses on actions on reducing Urban Heat Island effect and unsealing soils and are supporting the goals of PACA Region Climate Adaptation Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
– DEMO6 interventions are tackling challenges of forest fires, CO2 emissions and reducing Urban Heat Island effect.- DEMO7 defines adaptation actions based on the conservation, recovery, restoration and enhancement of riparian woodlands.
– DEMO8 NBS interventions support Izmir’s Strategy for Living in Harmony with Nature reduce CO2 emissions by 40% – DEMO9 Nicosia is becoming a front-runner in adaptation capacity to climate change, through initiatives, such as Gardens of the Future (which won the NEB award 2022).
