International JUSTNature Final Conference to be held on February 10 and 11 in Brussels and Leuven
The JUSTNature final conference ‘Towards Just and Sustainable Urban Transformations’ will take place on February 10 in Brussels, bringing together policymakers, urban planners, researchers, practitioners and community actors from across Europe.
The conference will explore how nature-based solutions (NbS) can drive meaningful urban transformation rooted in social justice, inclusion and co-governance.
Marking the culmination of nearly five years of collaborative research, innovation and on-the-ground implementation in European cities, the event celebrates the achievements and lessons of the EU-funded JUSTNature project.
The conference will be hosted at Atelier 29, a food and art venue in the heart of Brussels. The programme will showcase key insights from JUSTNature’s work to advance equitable access to ecological space in urban environments − from meaningful stakeholder engagement to inclusive governance strategies that ensure the benefits of green and blue infrastructure are shared fairly.
These themes will be explored through interactive sessions, panel discussions and exchanges with invited expert speakers, highlighting both policy relevance and practical implementation.
The conference will also feature keynote speeches by Sonia Gantioler, who will reflect on the JUSTNature journey from vision to impact; Farzana Gandhi, who will share insights from community-led nature-based solutions; and Simone Sandholz, who will present on urban futures and sustainability.
On February 11, the conference will conclude with a guided site visit in Leuven, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience JUSTNature’s interventions first-hand and gain practical insights into their real-world application. One of them is a Constantin Meunierstraat, a residential street that was transformed through simple interventions that collected rainwater, added trees and shrubs to improve air quality, and brought the community together.
Another intervention was in Leuven Central, a four-hectare detention facility with limited access to green space for its approximately 400 inmates, where greening was used to improve the quality of life for inmates.
Participation in the conference is free of charge but requires registration via Eventbrite (https://bit.ly/JUSTConference).
The event invites policymakers, urban planners, researchers, activists and practitioners, as well as anyone engaged in or inspired by the pursuit of inclusive, sustainable urban change, to join the discussion and take home actionable knowledge.
For more information, visit the website.
