Industrial and Business Parks – climate resilient & fit for future (IB-Green)
Members of Climate Alliance, the largest European city network for climate action, see climate change as a global challenge requiring local solutions. The alliance has a tradition of promoting climate action in European municipalities and collaborating with indigenous peoples in the Amazon River basin for sustainable forestry.
Overview of the project
Industrial and business parks are particularly vulnerable to overheating because of their highly sealed surfaces. So far, the potential of adaptation measures in industrial and business parks has been largely neglected, even though they urgently need to be developed into sustainable areas. Further, technical and economic barries often prevent the implementation of green and blue infrastructure. One example for this is industrial and business parks needing specific solutions, e.g. adaptation measures for lightweight construction roofs.
By implementing green and blue infrastructure (e.g. unsealed parking lots, construction of greenways or green roofs and rain management infrastructure) in existing industrial and business parks, the negative effects of climate change for businesses and municipalities will be reduced. Additionally, by reducing heat stress, healthier working and living conditions will be created. Innovative solutions cover aspects for shared actions on public and private grounds, e.g. financing measures and maintenance as well as technical innovation, e.g. for infiltration of rainwater and planting more trees while respecting the needs of the enterprises.
IB-Green builds on three main pillars. First, we want to support public authorities in embedding climate resilience in the transformation of existing industrial and business parks. Second, IB-Green aims at transforming industrial and business parks into more climate and heat resilient ones through the implementation of green and blue infrastructure. Finally, the goal of this project is to strengthen the capacities of local authorities and private business owners through training schemes on climate adaptation.
Increase climate resilience of industrial and business park with green and blue infrastructure
Launching
03/23/2023 – 02/28/2027, project still in progress
At the end of its project term, IB-Green will have invested 2,9 million € for the implementation of green and blue infrastructure in 7 pilot sites in industrial and business parks. Pilot sites are located in Belgium (Zelllik), France (Lille métropole européen), Germany (city of Singen), the Netherlands (cities of Arnhem and Leeuwarden) and Luxemburg with a total built-up area of over 10 km² (10 million m²). Over 100 private business owners can profit from tailored advice on climate change vulnerability, on how to implement and finance multi-benefit measures and . Further, over 1400 public and private stakeholders, e.g. local authorities, business park operators and companies will benefit from training seminars and replicable best-practice on climate adaptation.
Ongoing: Toolbox with replicable best-practice solutions from the international partnership. Examples are: Joint analysis instruments of the international partnership, demonstrated multi-benefit solutions of green-blue infrastructure in business parks, implemented innovative measures for planting and maintaining trees and more green-blue infrastructure, rainwater infiltration in public and private space securing environmental restrictions of industrial parks, trigger private business owners to implement multi-functional measures (technical and financing options, optimal link with public adaptation measures, synergies with energy-efficiency measures and applying for subsidy schemes), support local authorities to design and implement adaptation measures in industrial and business parks.
IB-Green is funded via the Interreg North-West Europe programme. The total budget is €8,900,000, of which €5,400,000 are ERDF funds.
organisation
Through the Climate Alliance, nearly 2,000 member municipalities and districts covering more than 25 European countries as well as a variety of regional governments, NGOs and other organisations are actively working to combat climate change. In terms of members, Climate Alliance is the largest European city network dedicated to climate action. Our members, ranging from small rural towns to cities with populations in the millions, accept climate change as a global challenge that requires local solutions. Climate Alliance has a long tradition of promoting climate action both in European municipalities and with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon River basin, where local peoples have been practising sustainable forestry for millennia.
in collaboration
Project support: INFRASTRUKTUR & UMWELT