City of Kranj Hosts Local Climate Sandbox Workshop

On May 20th, the City of Kranj (Slovenia) hosted the Local Climate SANDBOX workshop, part of the Be Ready project, which aims to address the growing challenge of urban heat islands.

The event was opened by Deputy Mayor Janez Černe, who welcomed participants and set the stage for a day of collaborative climate action. Participants—representing the quadruple helix of governance, academia, business, and civil society—engaged in a series of activities and presentations, including:

· An introduction by a UIRS representative to the Be Ready online platform for assessing municipal climate preparedness: https://be-uhi-ready.net/

· Expert-led training sessions on nature-based solutions and ecosystem services

· Presentation of the new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the Gorenjska Region

· Insights into the CICADA4CE Urban Living Lab in Kranj

· Networking opportunities with the Interreg project URBIO BAUHAUS, focused on urban biodiversity

The focus of the workshop was the co-designing of a Roadmap for Pilot Implementation of blue infrastructure measures, complete with technical checklists, evaluation methods, monitoring tools, citizen engagement strategies, and communication plans for a greener future.

This workshop served as a valuable platform for connecting with the Interreg Central Europe projects CICADA4CE and URBIO BAUHAUS, which also focus on urban climate. By aligning efforts, the event encouraged cross-project collaboration and innovation.