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Urban resilience and climate action have taken the world by storm, and with good reason. Global warming is approaching the point of no return, and environmental disasters are becoming more frequent. People everywhere are suffering the consequences of decades of environmental recklessness: severe floods, heatwaves, and other catastrophes that are no longer distant warnings but present realities. While continuing to work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains essential, it is equally important to prepare for the worst and adapt our living environments to make them safer. But what does that adaptation actually look like on the ground? On 15–16 May 2026, Barcelona offered one opportunity to answer that question with Primavera R: a two-day open-house festival celebrating the people, places, and practices shaping the city’s approach to climate adaptation and urban resilience. A Festival to Make the Urban Resilience Ecosystem Visible Barcelona is widely regarded as a pioneer in urban resilience, and it has a remarkably dense ecosystem of actors working on climate action and urban transformation, ranging from local government agencies and research groups to neighbourhood associations, cooperatives, and grassroots organizations. Often, these groups operate separately from each other, even when they are working towards similar goals. One of Primavera R’s missions is to contribute to changing that. Building on the Resilience Brunches series and last year’s inaugural edition, the festival created a space to bridge practice, research, and governance, with a focus on lived experience. Through the networking event and the site visits, Primavera R sought to make the whole ecosystem visible to itself and to others. An invitation to discover what resilience looks like Friday kicked off with city-wide site visits, a series of open houses where local initiatives across Barcelona opened their doors to visitors who could explore projects spanning hydraulic infrastructure, textile cooperatives, nature-based solutions, and community food growing. Each site visit was unique and showed a different angle on what resilience actually looks like on the ground. Saturday 16 May continued the site visits, allowing those who were busy at work on Friday to also be able to discover some of the resilience initiatives in Barcelona. Site visits included: Torre Baró led by Natural Base Solutions: Gabino Carballo guided a visit through Torre Baró, Ciutat Meridiana and their immediate surroundings. The group was able to read the territory from the relationship between mountain and city, between centrality and periphery, and from the constant tension between institutional

From 12–15 May 2026, the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona will host The Apocalypse is Not Coming (TANC), a transdisciplinary gathering that challenges apocalyptic narratives and opens space for collective imagination, regenerative futures, and new forms of resilience. At URLab, we believe that strengthening resilience also means rethinking the stories we tell about crisis. TANC brings together researchers, artists, practitioners, and community actors to explore how we move beyond fear-based imaginaries toward creative, just, and transformative responses. That same week, URLab will also be hosting Primavera R (15–16 May), a two‑day “open doors” initiative showcasing resilience and sustainability projects across Barcelona. The event will close on the 16th with an informal networking gathering bringing together resilience practitioners, community members, activists, and the wider public, in a relaxed space with music and drinks to connect after an intense week of ideas. It’s a perfect way to round off the energy of TANC and continue building a more resilient Barcelona together. We encourage our network to participate, connect, and help expand the conversation on how cities and their communities can imagine futures that are not defined by collapse. The Apocalypse is not coming (TANC) conference Location: UAB Faculty of Arts and Humanities Date: 12-15 May, 2026 You can register for TANC here. To see the schedule of panels, workshops, performances, and more, click here

In March 2025, the students of the Master’s Degree in Urban Resilience for Sustainability Transitions at UIC had the opportunity to visit the city of Granollers. As part of their 1-month workshop, they developed a set of guidelines to help shape the future neighborhood of the city. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the many innovations and initiatives already being carried out in Granollers! Take a look at our summary video!

Learning the definitions and theoretical frameworks of resilience is a fundamental part of our Master in Urban Resilience for Sustainability Transitions, but do you know what’s equally important? Observing concrete actions taken by cities! Combining these two aspects is exactly what we had the opportunity to do with Dr. Ana Terra Amorim-Maia from the BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, who came to teach us from October 22nd to 25th. Together we visited some Climate Shelters in Barcelona, places – both indoor and outdoor, public and private – where people can seek thermal comfort from extreme temperatures. Dr. Ana Terra Amorim-Maia has researched these shelters using ‘intersectionality’ – i.e. the interconnection of social categories that apply to a given individual or group, creating a unique system of disadvantage and discrimination – as a lens for her analysis. Since the Climate Shelters initiative is primarily designed for vulnerable people who can’t find comfort at home, it is indeed fundamental that attention is paid to inclusivity. We also explored neighborhoods transformed by Superblocks and Green Axes. These site visits gave us the chance to compare theory with practice to assess the successes and challenges of the observed Barcelona’s climate resilience measures. Climate Shelters (refugios climáticos) in El Gòtic  Our tour started from the Museu Frederic Marès, in the heart of El Gòtic neighborhood. The museum’s patio features citrus trees and other greenery that already provide some nice relief from the heat. A sign near the museum entrance indicates the presence of a climate shelter. The designated space is a room on the ground floor (if you thought you could visit the museum for free, I’m sorry, you will be disappointed!). People going to the climate shelter can use the bathroom and if they ask for some water, they will be given a reusable cup to fill. The room has informative panels about the museum’s history on the walls, a table and some chairs. However, the size of the room was one of the first limitations we noticed, as it wouldn’t suit us all. Moreover, the space is not children-friendly: since it’s inside a museum, people are required to be quiet. Thus, families with children could feel unwelcome in this space. Furthermore, one common characteristic of Barcelona’s Climate Shelters is the fact that they maintain their original uses and functions, which can lead to a lack of assistance from the staff, who may

Introduction Barcelona is often celebrated for its innovative approach to urban planning, but how does this translate into practice? As part of our exploration of nature-based solutions (NbS) and green infrastructure (GI), our master’s had the opportunity to visit several key sites and learn from Gabino Carballo, a seasoned landscape architect and NbS project coordinator at Natural Base Solutions. The visit allowed us to critically analyze the implementation of NbS at the municipal level, assessing both their successes and shortcomings. Through this, we deepened our understanding of urban resilience and the real-world challenges of maintaining sustainable landscapes in a dense metropolitan setting. Key Takeaways: Green Infrastructure and NbS in Action One of the primary insights from the visit was the evolving nature of green infrastructure in Barcelona. The city’s urban landscape is shaped by the contrast between Ildefons Cerdà’s original plan and the realities of modern urbanization. Over the years, various policies have sought to integrate green infrastructure, culminating in the Pla del Verd i de la Biodiversitat de Barcelona 2020 and the Pla Natura Barcelona 2021-2030. A major revelation was the distinction between natural and engineered NbS. While the term “Nature-Based Solutions” suggests working with nature, much of what we observed was highly engineered. Bioengineering techniques that manipulate natural processes to create sustainable outcomes. For example, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), a form of Low Impact Development (LID), mimic natural water cycles through infiltration and evapotranspiration, reducing runoff and improving water quality. Challenges and Observations While the site visits showcased impressive NbS initiatives, they also revealed key challenges in implementation and maintenance. One notable example was an unmaintained NbS implementation using horizontal tree trunks, also known as log erosion barriers, for erosion control on slopes. These barriers were designed to create various plateaus throughout the slope, allowing for better water penetration into the sediment. However, due to the lack of upkeep, some of these structures had deteriorated, reducing their effectiveness and leading to increased erosion. This highlights the need for sustained investment and adaptive management in NbS projects. We saw real-world implementations of Barcelona’s master plan and how they are or are not maintained over time. One key observation was the use of organic and synthetic nettings for slope stabilization, combining coco coir and polyester fiber with a metal top net. This design facilitated vegetation growth, which further stabilized the sediment. However, this intervention was not in its best

As part of the Master’s program in Urban Resilience for Sustainability Transitions, the class of 2025 participated in a two-day deep dive into the housing cooperative Sostre Civic. Held on February 6th and 7th, 2025, this seminar and site visit were part of the Community Resilience module, introducing strategies to address housing shortages, community displacement, and modern individualistic living standards. On February 6th, the group visited Sostre Civic’s headquarters in Eixample, Barcelona, a hub for multiple cooperatives spanning legal, construction, architecture, and sustainability fields. These organizations collaborate as a cooperative network. In the conference room, Nina Turrull from Sostre Civic’s engineering and technical team provided an in-depth overview of Barcelona’s housing crisis and the cooperative’s mission. Barcelona faces an escalating housing crisis due to complex socio-economic and political factors. Tourism and short-term rentals, fueled by platforms like Airbnb, have driven up rents, reducing housing availability for residents. Additionally, stagnant local wages, rising living costs, and policies favoring remote workers further widen the affordability gap. Investment properties and the lack of social housing also contribute to long-term residents being priced out of the city. Sostre Civic offers an alternative housing model aimed at helping residents work around current housing issues. Established in 2004, it is a cooperative focused on community needs rather than profit. The right to use model employed by Sostre Cívic is a cooperative housing approach where the cooperative owns the property, and members pay an initial contribution and  monthly fees for the indefinite right to live in their homes. Unlike ownership or renting, residents don’t own the property but have secure, long-term, and affordable housing while actively participating in the cooperative’s management and decision-making.This model aligns well with public-private partnerships (PPPs) and community land trusts (CLTs) by enabling access to publicly or community-owned land for affordable housing projects. In a PPP or CLT arrangement, the land remains collectively owned while cooperatives like Sostre Cívic manage housing, ensuring long-term affordability, community control, and resilience against speculation. Currently, Sostre Civic has over 1,700 members across 27 cities in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Its portfolio includes 14 co-living projects, with 11 more in development, totaling 561 homes. By 2027, they expect to expand to 19 co-living spaces and 6 additional projects, reaching 656 homes. The price range they work with depends mostly on the location, land and project cost. It significantly varies if the housing is new construction or just

In February 2025, the students of the Master’s Degree in Urban Resilience for Sustainability Transitions (UIC), accompanied by Juan del Río, visited Cardedeu to explore two inspiring initiatives: The Phoenicurus food forest, a true biodiversity hotspot, home to more than 300 species The La Fresca food cooperative, in which participate more than 200 families. The visit allowed the students to learn about the core principles of permaculture, which respect natural rhythms and seasons while allowing the soil to regenerate. We also took the opportunity to broach the topic of the circular economy and its benefits for the city and its residents. Watch our recap video!

During the Primavera R Festival on April 11th, we had the pleasure of walking along the Sant Ildefons Climate Itinerary, guided by Virginia Vallvé Cádiz. The city of Cornellà is developing Cornellà Natura, a strategic decade-long project aimed at renaturalizing the city while enhancing its environmental, social, and landscape values to create a more human-friendly urban space. Our visit focused on the renaturalization projects developed along the Climate Itinerary – a route which winds through highly frequented zones surrounded by workplaces, schools, markets, healthcare facilities, and social services. The goal of the Climate Itinerary is to adapt public spaces by integrating shaded areas, water points, and comfortable resting spots for pedestrians and cyclists. The visit will highlight completed interventions along the route, as well as ongoing studies and future plans to enhance the area’s resilience to climate change. Take a look at our Recap Video!

This research is driven by the overarching goal of making successful green and net-zero transition focused Urban Pilots sustainable. Cities are rapidly growing in population, size and energy consumption, which addresses the need for more efficient and effective but also sustainable governance. Climate change actions across the European Union (EU) in general are aiming for carbon neutrality and cities have a pivotal role in achieving these goals. From the bottom-up approach, the local governance level is essential for at least two reasons. First, in a general mindset of ‘local elaboration’ of sustainable development, cities are the logical loci for action because they do not only concentrate (future) consumption and production and are hence at the origin of unsustainability ‘symptoms’, they are simultaneously the operational units in which concrete actions can be envisaged, designed, (politically) facilitated and effectively rolled out. Second, local level governance is closest to the citizens and residents – seen as enablers of innovation, users of products and services who in the end are the key actors to implement the transition to net-zero. Most ambitious are the cities that have joined the EU Cities Mission aiming to become climate neutral by 2030, but also the regions and cities that have joined the EU Mission on Adaption to Climate Change to become climate resilient by 2030. Regardless of the high ambition, too often, we see great examples of small- and large-scale city experimentations “dying” when the project ends. How to overcome these challenges and make exceptional transition focused Urban Pilots sustainable? For solving a part of this research gap, this work in progress is focused on two main areas. We are interested in how to upscale university-born and transition focused Urban Pilots to new contexts and how Transition Teams in municipalities, their roles and capacities could benefit this process. For the first, we will utilize the experience gathered from the Smart City Challenge Innovation Program managed by the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, an international research and development centre under Tallinn University of Technology driven by the passion to enhance the quality of life in urban areas. For the second, we will use the experience and knowledge collected from the NetZeroCities project where the FinEst Centre is a partner. The aim of the first research area is to identify the main challenges of transferring and adapting university-born Urban Digital Technologies (UDTs) to new contexts (cities in the same country

Cities are home to 57% of the world’s population, whilst being responsible for the production of 70% of the world’s carbon emissions. This outsized influence places cities as being crucial to the fight against climate change, with UN General Secretary António Guterres stating in 2019 that “cities are where the climate battle will largely be won or lost”. To this end, cities across the globe are initiating a range of actions and projects to reduce their carbon emission impacts. One such approach is to conduct urban regeneration, described by UN Habitat as the ‘bringing back of underutilized assets and the redistribution of opportunities, increasing urban prosperity and quality of life’. The prevalence of this approach is well illustrated within the EU’s UP2030 project, where 10 of the 11 partner cities are conducting some form of regeneration which expands beyond single building renovations. Whilst the premise of urban regeneration represents it as an inherently positive action, there are significant issues which blight it, particularly the significant likelihood of resident displacement and gentrification. Therefore, if a city authority is to pursue the path of urban regeneration, it is essential that it is effective; not only in terms of delivering the aesthetic and communal elements which underpin it, but also in terms of carbon emission reduction. For this to be the case, the use of emission data is an essential prerequisite. Before and after images of London’s Olympic park, a famous example of urban regeneration Urban Carbon Emission Data Whilst the majority of the worlds cities have some form of emission data, the scope, quality and applicability of this varies significantly from city to city. Within urban carbon accounting there are two key elements which influence the data available to the city – which calculation method is utilised and which ‘scope’ to account for. The former relates to whether the city follows a ‘bottom-up’ or ‘top-down’ approach. A bottom-up approach is to calculate carbon emissions through adding an emission factor to activity data, for instance the calculation of a car’s carbon emissions can be calculated by adding an emission factor to the amount of petrol used to power it. On the other hand, a top-down approach takes national level emission data and ‘downscales’ it to the city level. The bottom-up approach, whilst more accurate and granular than the top-down approach, is more difficult and time consuming to conduct. The other consideration for a