LIFE is at the forefront of the livable cities revolution. In the Lombardy region in northern Italy, for example, the recently completed VIDA en la ciudad project brought together students, conservationists, and citizen scientists to protect threatened urban biodiversity in three cities: Milan, Varese, and Cassano Magnago.

The project aimed to design and test an «innovative, collaborative, and participatory model of green urban regeneration for biodiversity conservation.» In just two years, it provided free online training courses on biodiversity and urban greening for teachers, municipal officials, ecological designers, and urban planners. Residents and students created urban gardens and public green spaces, planting local shrubs and native flower varieties that encourage pollinating insects.

In addition to Milan, Bologna, and Madrid also participated in a four-year LIFE project called VEG-GAP to measure the impact of planting urban vegetation ecosystems, such as trees and parks, to reduce air temperature, humidity, and pollution levels. Based on the results, VEG-GAP built an online collaborative platform for city authorities to plan their own urban greening programs. «Urban greenery is an extraordinary resource for city air quality, thanks to its ability to regulate thermal comfort and clean the air,» says project director Valeria Stacchini. «Urban greenery represents a great opportunity to improve the quality of life in the city.»

Meanwhile, in Alentejo, Portugal, LIFE AGUA DE PRATA aims to revive ancient natural groundwater sources to irrigate urban green spaces in the regional capital, Évora. The recently completed project also encouraged «urban farmers» who grow their own products to promote climate-friendly and water-efficient irrigation on their plots.

However, the masterpiece of this project is the restoration of the world-famous 16th-century aqueduct to transport 120,000 cubic meters of water each year from natural springs outside the city.

With 338 million EU citizens currently living in urban areas (more than three-quarters of the total population), there is pressure to create livable cities that also help alleviate the climate and biodiversity crisis. LIFE projects aim to do just that.