Developing and demonstrating portfolio of nature based and smart solutions for improving urban climate
resilience in Latvia and Estonia

There is urgency of improving the climate resilience within territories of Baltic local governments, to solve practical urban climatecoping challenges as well as transform the regions to be more resilient in extreme weather events in future.

The overall objective of the Project is to increase resilience of Estonian and Latvian urban areas to extreme weather events, by focusing on 4 specific objectives:

• nature-based solutions;
• digital change;
• quality of planning;
• engaged communities and skilled enablers

More specifically, the project will develop and test a set of measures that will help to prevent and respond in case of pluvial flooding, i.e., flooding generated locally by an overload of the urban drainage system by extreme rainfall.

The new high-potential plant communities will be composed, pluvial flood simulation model and integrated decision support system for mitigation measures will be developed and nature-based solutions (NBS) will be designed. These tools and solutions will be tested in 8 urban demonstration sites of Latvian and Estonian local governments.

Green infrastructure (GI) and NBS will be operationalised in local urban municipal planning by co-creation of policy and management options, adoption of NBS maintenance rules and urban greening plans. In addition, capacity of local governments (planners, project managers and politicians) will be strengthened on developing and managing NBS and urban planning of GI. Workshop “Planning and operationalizing green infrastructure and ecosystem service concepts for improving urban climate resilience” was held on 13-14 June 2023, Riga with the aim to support transfer of knowledge and experience from all over the Europe in urban green infrastructure and climate adaptation planning, and to discuss the suitable approaches to be implemented by the LIFE LATESTadapt project. Workshop materials available HERE.

Aim of the workshop: to support transfer of knowledge and experience from all over the Europe in urban green infrastructure and climate adaptation planning, and to discuss the suitable approaches to be implemented by the LIFE LATESTadapt project.

Also, awareness will be raised on adaptation to climate change effects and thriving co-creation of NBS with the local communities. Project will be implemented by Latvian and Estonian partners in close cross-border co-operation, and the results will be transferred to other local governments in the Baltic region as well as to other EU Member States.