From Floods to Resilience: Global Cities Share Nature-Based Adaptation Solutions in IURC Webinar

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme successfully hosted the second webinar of Community of Practice 14 (CoP 14) on Climate Adaptation, bringing together cities, regions, researchers, and urban practitioners to exchange experiences on multi-hazard nature-based adaptation with a particular focus on water-related risks.

Led by the Region of Valencia, the webinar formed part of the IURC Climate Adaptation webinar series running from April to September 2026. The session explored how nature-based solutions (NBS) can strengthen urban resilience while delivering co-benefits such as biodiversity enhancement, public space improvement, and urban heat mitigation.

The webinar opened with remarks from Silvia Martínez and the IURC team, who highlighted the importance of international cooperation and peer-to-peer learning in advancing climate adaptation strategies across cities and regions.

A key presentation was delivered by Eduardo Rojas-Briales, who shared lessons learned from the devastating flash floods that affected the metropolitan area of Valencia in October 2024. The presentation emphasized the urgent need to move beyond conventional grey infrastructure approaches and invest in integrated green infrastructure systems capable of reducing flood vulnerability while improving climate comfort, mobility, biodiversity, and public wellbeing.

Representatives from cities and regions across Europe and Asia showcased innovative adaptation initiatives and governance approaches:

• Tetsuro Yoshida presented Kawasaki’s future vision for urban greenery and the development of rain gardens in parks and public transport areas to address increasing rainfall and rising temperatures.
• Krisztián Mészáros shared experiences from Hungary’s Sponge Measures initiative, demonstrating how nature-based water retention measures, landscape restoration, and catchment-level cooperation can help rural municipalities reduce flood and drought risks while strengthening long-term climate resilience.
• Jasper de Jonge highlighted innovative water-related NBS projects in Tampere, including blue-green corridors, flood meadows, and biofilter systems.
• Tom Parson introduced Christchurch’s “Six Values” approach to stormwater management, integrating landscape, culture, ecology, recreation, heritage, and drainage into climate adaptation planning. The presentation also explored Christchurch’s multi-hazard assessment framework addressing earthquake, coastal inundation, and flooding risks.
• Petya Dimitrova demonstrated how Sofia is using drone mapping and GIS-based systems to identify flood and landslide risk areas and support evidence-based urban resilience planning.

The session concluded with an interactive discussion moderated by Javier Marzo, where participants explored opportunities for collaboration, study visits, pilot projects under the IURC Competitive Fund, and future joint proposals under programmes such as Horizon Europe, LIFE, and URBACT.

The webinar reinforced CoP 14’s broader objective of bridging the gap between climate adaptation planning and implementation through practical knowledge exchange, governance innovation, and replicable nature-based solutions.

Presentation materials, webinar recordings, and a summary fact sheet will be shared with participants through the IURC Knowledge Library in the coming weeks.