Written by: Tilemachos Kotronis
Edited by: Dora Psoma
On 27th August 2025, ᴇNᴀBʟS’ Greek Living Lab held the event “Urban Narratives & Nature-Based Solutions” in Thessaloniki, Greece. The event was organised by IDEA in collaboration with CERTH (another ᴇNᴀBʟS project partner) and Stimmuli for Social Change, a social innovation research organisation from Thessaloniki.
Following the successful implementation of the first two Greek Living Lab events held at the Technical Chamber of Greece (May 27th & June 5th 2025), this one explored: what NBS competencies can we use in urban redesign? How can a neighbourhood be transformed between 2025 and 2030? How can young people currently studying in HE & TVET use these skills to envision an urban environment that promotes biodiversity?
The Living Lab event featured a guided walking tour of western Thessaloniki and interactive activities designed by and for GenZ in an effort to explore how the new generation can shape greener, more sustainable neighbourhoods through urban narratives and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).
Event Overview
Participants: 25 VET & HE students, Group of 4 TVET educators
Topic: NBS routes in a neighbourhood with an important past & future for biodiversity.
Task: Participants were divided into 4 groups, accompanied by a walking tour expert (guide and HE & TVET trainers), in order to collect data from locations with specific NBS characteristics according to their interests and studies.
Aim: The aim of the data collection and analysis was to envision and be able to describe future developments as a response to the question “How can this neighbourhood change between 2025 and 2030?”.
Outcomes: During the field trip, participants collected data regarding:
- Fauna and flora
- Demographics (H-index)
- Climate heat index
- Culture & society
- NBS
Participants shared ideas and insights for more sustainable neighbourhoods while simultaneously developing their NBS Competencies :
- Promoting Nature
- Futures Literacy
- Collective Action
- Critical Thinking
A Glimpse into the Day’s Activities
Following the event’s agenda, the day began with a field trip in western Thessaloniki and specifically the Urban Garden and the Old Railway Station area, highlighting examples of green interventions. The aim of this field trip was to collect data from both NBS interventions in the neighbourhood and the environmental impacts related to the old industrial facilities that remain untapped in the area. The field trip was concluded with a guided tour on the construction site of the upcoming Museum of Holocaust, which plays a significant role in the urban and green development of the neighbourhood.
The second part of the event focused on an interactive indoor session entitled “Let’s pitch: A neighbourhood of 2030”, where participants shared ideas for sustainable and resilient neighbourhoods drawing upon the data they collected from the field trip. The IDEA team, Dora Psoma & Tilemachos Kotronis (ᴇNᴀBʟS partners), presented an overview of ᴇNᴀBʟS, engaging the audience in discussion and brainstorming on how to reshape a neighbourhood’s future using NBS.
During the event, the IDEA team set up ᴇNᴀBʟS informative corners in various strategic locations where promotional material was distributed to the participants along with gift bags consisting of project merch (wheat straw pen, pen seed and bamboo key rings).
The indoor activities of the event concluded with the participation of Stimmuli for Social Change, featuring inspiring presentations from the GreenViDialogue Mentors, sharing knowledge and innovative approaches, feedback and a presentation of the European GreenVET project, showcasing tools for education and the implementation of green solutions.
Through participation, collaboration, and creative dialogue, we took another step towards building more sustainable and people-friendly neighbourhoods.
