Building with Nature: Responding to the Demand for Urban Development and Affordable Housing through a Biodiversity Lens

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Building with Nature: Responding to the Demand for Urban Development and Affordable Housing through a Biodiversity Lens

Policy event on how integrating biodiversity and nature-based solutions into urban housing and spatial planning can advance the EU’s sustainability goals while addressing the twin challenges of affordable housing and climate resilience. 

Building on the EU's ambitious policy agenda for cities, the European Housing Plan and the European Biodiversity Strategy, the event will explore the nexus between environmental sustainability, spatial development and housing through the lens of biodiversity. The growing demand for affordable housing and associated land use continues to strain ecosystems and natural resources. Simultaneously, cities face escalating climate-related impacts, such as heat stress, intensified by dense construction, waste heat and insufficient vegetation. Integrating biodiversity and nature-based solutions, alongside large-scale building retrofits, offers substantial co-benefits for enhancing urban areas.

In-person event co-organised by UNEP and UN Habitat Brussels, with the participation of Eurocities, ICLEI and the European Parliament, as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025.

Register here before 30 September 2025