The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named Liverpool as a pioneering city in innovation for integrating green infrastructure into its urban landscape.
As one of three “front-runner” cities in the EU-funded URBAN GreenUP project – alongside Valladolid, Spain, and Izmir, Turkey – Liverpool has demonstrated how nature-based solutions can be effectively deployed to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and social well-being in highly urbanised environments.
The project, coordinated by Liverpool City Council and supported by the Mersey Forest and The University of Liverpool, focused on enhancing the city’s green infrastructure through ecological engineering and strategic urban planning.
Key interventions included the installation of living green walls, urban raingardens, floating ecosystem islands, innovative pollinator spaces, and the revitalisation of underused public spaces.
This resulted in improved air quality, urban cooling and a lower flood risk through increased vegetation. The city also benefitted from enhanced biodiversity and ecological connectivity across the city.
Liverpool was invited by the IUCN Standard for Nature-based Solutions to retrospectively assess the URBAN GreenUP project against the new standard, which attributed the URBAN GreenUP project’s success to strong collaboration, adaptive management practices, and a commitment to long-term environmental planning.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene, emphasised the importance of co-design and community involvement:
“Our work in Liverpool shows that when cities invest in nature, they invest in the health, resilience, and prosperity of their communities.
“Liverpool serves as a model for other urban centres seeking to integrate nature into their infrastructure and planning.”