Peer Review Visit in Zenica: Greening for Climate Resilience

On 29–30 September 2025, the City of Zenica hosted a peer review visit of the pilot action “Greening the Neighbourhood, Londža 2” under the Be Ready project. The visit brought together the project partners the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia and the City of Niš, a representative of the associated partner Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, as well as local stakeholders.

The pilot transformed a heat-exposed urban corner into a greener, more welcoming public space. While the full environmental impact will develop over time, the area is already actively used by residents—especially children and older people—highlighting its immediate social value.

To give reviewers a broader understanding of Zenica’s context, the city organised a guided tour highlighting ongoing climate, social, and environmental challenges. This set the stage for the visit to the pilot site in Londža 2, where local experts presented the implemented solution and explained the steps taken during the co-design process. The visit was further enriched by the participation of schoolchildren from the neighbouring Edhem Malabić primary school, who shared their own greening proposals, demonstrating how youth engagement is being built into climate-resilience efforts.

The peer review concluded with a discussion on future climate-related projects and the challenges Zenica plans to address in the coming years. Reviewers noted that the pilot offers practical, cost-efficient solutions that can be replicated in other dense urban areas, highlighting in particular its inclusive co-design process, the cost-efficient maintenance, the strong potential for scaling to similar neighbourhoods, and the active promotion carried out through local media and events.