Climate Quilts

Research project

The European project Climate Quilts transforms neglected areas in urban landscapes into interconnected green spaces. Researchers, artists, students, and residents will join forces to co-create green "quilts" on vacant plots to enhance biodiversity, resilience and social cohesion in pioneering ways.

A series of 10-by-10-meter mini-gardens will be created in the Netherlands, Italy, Estonia, and Sweden in collaboration with city councils, academic institutions, and social organisations. These mini-gardens will serve as individual patches within larger green quilts, each designed and maintained by diverse communities. These quilts will function as micro-ecosystems aimed at improving ecological health, fostering community engagement, and boosting urban resilience. This does not only beautify urban spaces but also regenerates and conserves biodiversity, ensuring sustainable and resilient urban landscapes for future generations.

Image: Julia de Jong

This project has these research aims:

To assess how biodiversity and soil health respond to temporary, community-managed urban green infrastructures.

To evaluate how participatory design and futures literacy influence social cohesion, environmental awareness, and community resilience.

To develop a replicable and scalable model for temporary biodiversity-enhancing interventions that can inform urban planning and policy across Europe.

The impact is to better biodiversity, create strong community bonds between people and between the community and nature.

Climate Quilts aims to evaluate impact with a holistic approach that considers all three pillars: sustainability (soul), biodiversity (soil), and social cohesion (society). To facilitate this comprehensive evaluation, the UNESCO Chair Futures Literacy will guide a reflection on sustainability and future scenarios, allowing participants to envision and strategise for long-term ecological and social outcomes. The social and cultural impact of the project will be evaluated in all participating countries through the development of a recent tool called the "Value Wheel," which will assess community engagement and cultural well-being.

Social cohesion and community engagement - By connecting diverse communities with nature and each other, through educational activities, co-creation and participatory design, the project fosters a sense of belonging and stewardship.
Biodiversity and ecological resilience - Each quilt will act as a micro-ecosystem to support local flora and fauna and enhance overall ecological health in urban areas. By incorporating native plant species and climate-resilient design strategies, we expect quilts to provide cooling effects and offer habitats for wildlife.
Knowledge development - The project produces new, practice-based insights into how temporary, small-scale greening initiatives can support sustainable urban transformation across Europe.

A complete evaluation plan will be developed and implemented across all participating countries.
Practice based knowledge is translated for policy advice that will be shared with city councils in our project.
Practice based knowledge will also be shared within an international network through the Driving Urban Transition Ambassador (Gloria Maria Cavalieri).

Partners

The Netherlands: Researcher Gloria Maria Cavalieri of Professorship Art & Sustainaibility at Hanze (Dutch and international project manager and project leader), Dr. Imogen Humpris; Kenniscentrum Noorderruimte (Hanze), Dr. Charnè Theron, Dr. Alex van Spyk, Dr. Justin Richardson; UNESCO Chair for Futures Literacy (Hanze), Prof. Loes Damhof; Stichting AOC Terra; Gemeente Groningen;
Italy: Prof. Daniel Ronsivalle, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UniPa, Univeristy of Palermo); Comune di Palermo; Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria (CREA); Società a Responsabilita Limitata Societa Benefit; Confraternita Unione Del Miseremini In San Matteo;
Estonia: Prof. Simon Bell, Eesti Maaulikool (Estonian University of Life Sciences); Viimsi Vald;
Sweden: Diana Nayeli Monsberger, Blivande Idéer; Research Institutes Of Sweden (RISE); Frihamnens Kulturförening.

The Climate Quilts project concept was conceived and developed by Dr. Jan van Boeckel, currently a senior researcher. He is primarily involved as an advisor in the project's further planning and implementation.

This project is made possible thanks to a grant of Driving Urban Transitions (DUT).

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