The GreenInCities Sustainable Renaturing Toolbox is a comprehensive resource designed to help cities co-create, implement and monitor Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation, environmental sustainability, and urban regeneration. Developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts, the toolbox provides practical tools and methodologies to assess local urban conditions, support informed decision-making, and facilitate greener and more resilient urban landscapes.

Primary Audience:

• Urban planners, policymakers, and local administrations

• Technical experts

• Researchers and academic institutions

Secondary Audience:

• Citizens and advocacy groups

• Multidisciplinary experts and consultants

The GreenInCities Sustainable Renaturing Toolbox assembles tools and methodologies divided into two categories:

Quantitative assessment & local diagnostic systems

This section includes tools and methodologies that provide data-driven insights into urban environments analysing environmental, social, and economic factors to help cities identify challenges and opportunities for renaturation and measure their immpact over time.

Decision-making support systems.

Beyond diagnostic, cities need structures frameworks to evaluate different strategies and select the most effective renaturing solutions.

To facilitate readability and replication, you can find all the relevant information per each tools and methodologies in a technical sheet. This represents a structured overview of each specific tool or methodology embedded in the GreenInCities Sustainable Renaturing Toolbox. It displays the following characteristics:

• Name and purpose: Introduces the tool, explaining its objectives and significance in the renaturing process.

• Tool/ methodology attributes: Specifies when and how the tools is used, who applies it, the required skills and the key beneficiaries.

• Data requirements: Lists necessary data types, sources, and whether the tool relies on qualitative or quantitative information.

• Replicability instructions: Provides step-by-step guidelines for applying the tool, including required techniques, models, and estimated implementation time.

• Application: Outlines potential uses, expected outcomes, and presents supporting visuals like maps, charts or diagrams.

• Bibliography: Includes references and sources for further reading and validation.

Urban areas face increasing challenges due to climate change, pollution, and social inequalities. While many cities have embraced urban regeneration, smart technologies, and green infrastructure, these solutions are often concentrated in wealthier districts, leaving vulnerable areas behind. The GreenInCities Sustainable Renaturing Toolbox aims to bridge this gap by providing tools and methodologies that can be applied across all urban areas, ensuring that renaturing efforts benefit both people and ecosystems.

• Provide practical tools and methodologies for urban renaturing: The toolbox offers actionable tools and methodologies to help cities implement NbS, enhance sustainability, and promote green infrastructure in urban planning.

• Support data-driven decision-making: By providing tools for quantitative assessment – local diagnostic systems and decision-making support systems, the toolbox enables policymakers to make informed choices, prioritise interventions, and assess risk effectively.

• Promote the integration of NbS into urban planning: The toolbox bridges the gap between policy frameworks and local action plans, ensuring that NbS can be implemented, monitored, and maintained as part of long-term urban strategies.

• Facilitate replication and adaptation: Designed for scalability, the toolbox includes step-by-step guidelines to help cities of all sizes to adapt and apply these tools to their specific urban contexts.