Integrated Nature-based Solutions for Stormwater management, Urban heat Resilience, and biodivErsity
PROJECT SUMMARY
LIFE INSSURE addresses three interconnected urban challenges: water pollution and water management linked to stormwater and combined sewer overflows, the urban heat island effect, and biodiversity loss. Working in the South-Pest Wastewater Treatment Plant catchment in Budapest and the Kakach collector catchment in Sofia, the project will plan and implement multi-benefit nature-based solutions that retain stormwater, reduce heat exposure and strengthen urban biodiversity and ecological connectivity.
The project combines catchment-scale data collection, runoff and sewer modelling, urban heat and green-infrastructure mapping, biodiversity and social-vulnerability analysis, and participatory planning. These inputs will support hotspot identification, context-specific NBS portfolios, impact and cost-benefit assessment, innovative financing strategies and four locally grounded Action Plans – three for Budapest Districts XIX, XX and XXIII, and one for Sofia.
LIFE INSSURE will then pilot citizen- and business-oriented cooperation programmes that mobilise private land, finance and local capacity for NBS delivery. Training, peer-to-peer replication and policy work will help transfer the integrated approach to municipalities across Central and Eastern Europe and the wider European Union, supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, EU Biodiversity Strategy, Climate Adaptation Strategy, and New European Bauhaus objectives.
PHYSI’S ROLE
PHYSI leads Work Package 4 on Local Action Plan development and contributes across the full planning cycle. Early in the project, PHYSI will use the Urban Nature Atlas to develop context-specific portfolios of feasible NBS and will configure and calibrate the Urban Nature Explorer for selected hotspots in Budapest and Sofia. These hotspot-specific digital scenario environments will combine baseline and priority-area information with constraints and impact indicators, forming a core tool for the Urban NbS Labs, scenario comparison and subsequent assessment with various key stakeholder groups, including citizens, local businesses, and expert audiences with targeted activities, campaigns, and small-scale pilots.
PHYSI also supports the overall participatory process design with WWF and leads preparatory capacity building for local facilitators. Within the Action Plan work, PHYSI contributes to impact and cost-benefit assessment and validation through the UNE, and leads the exploration of innovative financing mechanisms and business planning for the pilots, and supervises the finalisation of the four Local Action Plans in Budapest and Sofia. Later, PHYSI will coordinate national training series for Hungarian and Bulgarian local authorities and co-lead capacity building activities for cities across Europe with Climate Alliance.
Overall, PHYSI plays a key role in connecting scientific evidence, spatial planning, and participatory governance, ensuring that NBS generate measurable environmental benefits while remaining feasible and attractive for cities, citizens, and private investors.
PARTNERSHIP
- Municipality of Budapest – Project Coordinator
- WWF Hungary
- PHYSI Solutions
- WWF Bulgaria
- Climate Alliance
- Trinity Enviro
- Sofia Municipality
- Sofiyska Voda AD – Associated Partner