Within the framework of the NbS Annual Meeting 2025, on July 10 and 11, 2025, the Summer School "From Planning to Action" will take place, an advanced training initiative aimed at professionals, public administration officials, young researchers, and stakeholders involved in urban planning and regeneration processes. The goal is to provide a theoretical and practical framework for integrating NbS into sustainable urban development strategies, ecosystem services assessment, and territorial governance models.
In a context marked by increasing environmental, climate, and social challenges, the Summer School aims to strengthen the capacity of public and private actors to co-design NbS interventions that are economically sustainable, ecologically effective, and socially inclusive. The program is based on an interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach, promoting dialogue among local administrations, research institutions, designers, impact investors, and local communities.
The training program includes theoretical sessions, practical workshops, case studies, collaborative discussion moments, and hands-on exercises, including the NbS Tour in the Milan metropolitan area, organized on July 9, 2025 in synergy with the NbS Italy Hub. Special attention will be given to the use of assessment tools (such as the Decision Support System), building a business case, and developing financing strategies for NbS projects at various development stages.
Among the expected outcomes of the Summer School are: strengthened local decision-making capacity; systemic integration of NbS into urban and territorial planning tools; improved access to financial resources, including at the early-stage; and the creation of professional networks able to support widespread adoption of nature-based approaches in urban regeneration processes.
The event is designed as a knowledge co-production platform, fostering the exchange of perspectives among academia, policy-making, and business, and contributing to the development of innovative and contextually relevant strategies for urban sustainability.
Registration deadline: June 15, 2025
Program
July 10, 2025
| 09:00 |
09:30 |
Welcome coffee and networking |
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| 09:30 |
10:00 |
Introduction to the summer school:
From Planning to Action: A Summer School on Urban NbS for Professionals |
Israa Mahmoud / LABSIMURB
Gregorio Sgrigna
Aude Zingraff-Hamed
Monica Altamirano |
DAStU, Politecnico di Milano
CNR-IRET
CNRS/ENGEES
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 10:15 |
10:45 |
Assessment of ecosystem services for adaptive urban spatial planning.
Insights from cases in Lombardy |
Andrea Arcidiacono / LABPPTE
Andrea Benedini / LABPPTE |
DAStU, Politecnico di Milano |
| 10:45 |
11:00 |
Leveraging NbS in urban nature plans |
Chiara Cortinovis / PLANES |
DICAM, University of Trento |
| 11:00 |
11:15 |
Graphic storytelling for nature-based solutions |
Bettina Wilk |
The Nature of Cities |
| 11:15 |
11:30 |
Coffee break and networking among participants |
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| 11:30 |
12:00 |
Nature-based solutions and use of the DSS (Decision Support System) platform |
Sean Bradley |
Groundwork, London |
| 12:00 |
12:30 |
Co-creative assessments of ecosystem services in NBS planning |
Francesco Sica / EVALPRO |
DiaP, La Sapienza, Rome |
| 12:30 |
13:00 |
Q&A with all participants |
All speakers and discussants |
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| 13:00 |
14:00 |
Lunch break |
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Financing a regeneration strategy.
Phase 1: Strategic and economic business case |
Mónica A. Altamirano de Jong |
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 14:00 |
14:30 |
Introduction to the Financing Framework for Water Security method for project preparation |
Mónica A. Altamirano de Jong |
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 14:30 |
15:30 |
Development of the Theory of Change (group model building exercise) |
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| 15:30 |
16:00 |
Selection of project clusters and classification of measures |
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| 16:00 |
16:30 |
Definition of a hierarchy of functions and service levels |
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Group formation and selection of sub-themes |
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Drinks or dinner at participants’ own expense |
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July 11, 2025
| 09:00 |
09:30 |
Welcome coffee and networking |
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Phase 2: Regeneration strategy – Financial, commercial, and management business case |
Mónica A. Altamirano de Jong |
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 09:30 |
10:30 |
Designing a financing strategy – identification of alternative revenue sources |
Mónica A. Altamirano de Jong |
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 10:30 |
10:45 |
Technical challenges in implementing NbS |
Francesca Framba |
Metropolitan City of Milan |
| 10:45 |
11:00 |
Coffee break and networking among participants |
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Phase 3: Collaborative governance and citizen engagement |
Israa Mahmoud |
LabSimUrb, DAStU Politecnico di Milano |
| 11:00 |
11:30 |
Choosing the collaborative governance model via DSS and co-design with citizens: examples from London, Milan, and Rome |
Israa Mahmoud
Sean Bradley
Francesco Sica |
LabSimUrb, DAStU Politecnico di Milano
Groundwork, London
EVALPRO, La Sapienza Rome |
| 11:30 |
13:00 |
Group work |
All participants |
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| 13:00 |
14:00 |
Lunch break |
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| 14:00 |
15:30 |
Review of group work |
Israa Mahmoud
Gregorio Sgrigna
Aude Zingraff-Hamed
Mónica Altamirano |
LabSimUrb, DAStU Politecnico di Milano
CNR-IRET
CNRS/ENGEES
ALTAMIRA & NetworkNature |
| 15:30 |
16:00 |
Group presentations |
All participants |
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| 16:00 |
17:00 |
Round table and final feedback on projects |
Eugenio Morello |
LabSimUrb, DAStU Politecnico di Milano |
Italiano
