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JUSTNature Final Conference in Brussels: Towards JUST, Sustainable Urban Transformations

Brussels, Belgium — The Final Conference: Towards Just and Sustainable Urban Transformations will take place on 10 February 2026 in Brussels, bringing together policymakers, urban planners, researchers, practitioners, and community actors from across Europe. The conference will explore how nature-based solutions (NbS) can drive meaningful urban transformation rooted in social justice, inclusion, and co-governance.

Marking the culmination of nearly five years of collaborative research, innovation, and on-the-ground implementation in European cities, the event celebrates the achievements and lessons of the EU-funded JUSTNature project. The conference will be hosted at Atelier 29, a food and art venue in the heart of Brussels, providing an inspiring setting for exchange, reflection, and debate.

The programme will showcase key insights from JUSTNature’s work to advance equitable access to ecological space in urban environments—from meaningful stakeholder engagement to inclusive governance strategies that ensure the benefits of green and blue infrastructure are shared fairly. These themes will be explored through interactive sessions, panel discussions, and exchanges with invited expert speakers, highlighting both policy relevance and practical implementation.

The conference will also feature keynote speeches by Prof. Dr Sonia Gantioler, who will reflect on the JUSTNature journey from vision to impact; Farzana Gandhi, who will share insights from community-led nature-based solutions; and Dr Simone Sandholz, who will present on urban futures and sustainability.

On 11 February 2026, the conference will conclude with a guided site visit in Leuven, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience JUSTNature’s interventions firsthand and gain practical insights into their real-world application. One of them is a Constantin Meunierstraat, a residential street that was transformed through simple interventions that collected rain water, added trees and shrubs to improve air quality, and brought the community together. Another intervention was in Leuven Central, a 4-hectare detention facility with limited access to green space for its approximately 400 inmates, where greening was used to improve the quality of life for inmates.

Participation in the conference is free of charge but requires registration .

The event invites policymakers, urban planners, researchers, activists, and practitioners, as well as anyone engaged in or inspired by the pursuit of inclusive, sustainable urban change, to join the discussion and take home actionable knowledge.

About JUSTNature

JUSTNature is an EU-funded research and innovation project dedicated to activating nature-based solutions to support a just transition toward low-carbon, climate-resilient cities. The project addresses four interconnected urban challenges:

1) Income and wealth inequalities and discrimination as drivers of spatial disparities
2) Fragmented and isolated urban areas with high biodiversity value
3) Uneven social impacts of urban transformation processes
4) Inequitable distribution of environmental and climate impacts

Guided by the principle that every citizen has a “right to ecological space”, JUSTNature promotes fair access to clean air, thermal comfort, and thriving biodiversity in cities across Europe.