The URWAN project uses nature-based solutions and community cooperation to create greener urban spaces that are more resilient to climate change. Through innovative workshops and digital tools, citizens help shape the city’s sustainable future.
Photo: City of Sarajevo
At a time when droughts and extreme weather conditions are increasingly affecting Mediterranean cities, the need for innovative and sustainable solutions is becoming urgent. Responding to these challenges is the URWAN project (Urban Regenerative Water Avant-garde(N)), which brings together nine partners from seven countries – Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With a budget of €2.8 million and a duration of 33 months, URWAN applies Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as tools for transforming urban spaces, making cities more resilient, greener, and socially inclusive.
Sarajevo’s Digital Twin
The City of Sarajevo is actively participating in the project, seizing the opportunity to improve public spaces and strengthen resilience to climate challenges. One of the most advanced elements of the URWAN project is the development of a Digital Twin model – a virtual replica of the urban space that enables real-time monitoring, simulation, and analysis of key aspects of city life.
This sophisticated tool is being developed by the Italian team Kassandra, which integrates data on water resources, infrastructure, transport, and the environment. In September 2024, Kassandra experts visited Sarajevo, where they analyzed a selected two-square-kilometer pilot zone in the Municipality of Stari Grad through workshops and field visits. This model lays the foundation for more precise and sustainable urban planning.
Citizens as Designers of Their Neighborhood
After digital mapping, Sarajevo is entering a key phase of the project: organizing a series of participatory workshops in the Stari Grad area, planned for the summer and autumn of 2025.
The workshops will follow the principles of the Start Park methodology, which is based on co-design and co-creation. Citizens, local communities, experts, and interested organizations will work together to identify key problems and jointly shape concrete solutions – from green areas and water retention systems to spaces for relaxation and social activities – creating functional and sustainable urban units tailored to the needs of the local community. To ensure broad participation, all important information on dates and locations will be available through the official channels of the City of Sarajevo.
Shared Learning on the International Stage
The City of Sarajevo is also actively participating on the international stage, sharing its own experiences and learning from partner cities. In December 2024, the first URWAN Living Lab was held in Ptuj, Slovenia, where experiences on applying nature-based solutions were exchanged and a comprehensive NbS catalogue was presented.
In July 2025, the Portuguese city of Cuba hosted the second URWAN Living Lab. Sarajevo’s delegation included representatives of the City Service for Sustainable Development, the Sarajevo Canton Development Planning Institute, and the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Sarajevo. Through panel discussions, workshops, and field visits, participants explored further applications of nature-based solutions in the urban context, further strengthening international cooperation.
Aesthetics, Functionality, and Togetherness
The URWAN project follows the philosophy of the New European Bauhaus, an initiative that combines beauty, functionality, and social justice in the shaping of spaces. With its involvement in this project, Sarajevo demonstrates how a city can be simultaneously resilient to climate change, open to technological innovation, and inclusive for all its citizens.
For more information about upcoming activities and opportunities to get involved, follow the official channels of the City of Sarajevo under the name Sustainable Sarajevo – a platform dedicated to promoting sustainable development and active citizen participation in shaping the city’s green future.
(Furaj.ba)