Blog, Collaborative Learning, Nature-based solutions, Urban trees

From 13-15 September 2022, the first post-covid in-person CLEARING HOUSE General Assembly took place in Gelsenkirchen Germany. The event gathered most consortium members and was an opportunity for everyone to meet and discuss the project in a more in-depth and casual manner.

With the General assembly being held in the case study city of Gelsenkirchen, it allowed for field trips to be planned in the different areas of interest within the city. The first one took place in the Green Lab Hugo Park where consortium members were able to discover the old charcoal mine turned communal garden. The Park is looked after by passionate citizens who continue to plant and bring life and greenery to the once darkened area. The second field trip began in the Gelsenkirchen Biennale which organises events related to climate change and how to make a city more liveable through greenery. Then, the group headed towards Germany’s largest urban forest. The forest, which also lays on charcoal ground, has returned to its rightful place.

Citizen co-design workshops held in Gelsenkirchen were also discussed along with the other cities in which case studies are being held, like Barcelona for instance.

To discover more about our different case studies achievements, have a look at our videos about Gelsenkirchen ,Barcelona, and Krakow.

The goal of the General Assembly was also to collect information on the different work packages’ achievements of the projects. Next steps were internally discussed, for instance with the upcoming development of the project’s guidelines on Nature Based Solutions. Insights were also given by the Chinese partners who attended the General Assembly remotely.

Several working sessions were also held on the final day of the General Assembly. The first one was animated by IUCN  Global Standards and focused on Nature Based Solutions and their Urban Nature Indices framework (see presentation here). The second working session focused on the multifunctionalities of NBS and the different benefits it brings to urban areas for Nature and people.

Overall, the 2022 CLEARING HOUSE General Assembly was a success that allowed all partners to meet and exchange, on and off screen!