Urban green infrastructure decision-makers, researchers and private sector stakeholders will come together in Bilbao (Spain) to explore local government strategies of partnering with private sector actors to lead urban development down a greener path.

This topic follows on from recent research conducted by the Green Surge project into successful ways of making public and private interests work together. Amongst others, ICLEI has invited the City of Aarhus (Denmark) and the Greater London Authority (UK) to showcase how they cooperate with private actors to green their cities. Aarhus partnered with private stakeholders, particularly farmers and gardeners, as part of their strategy to protect groundwater from pesticides. One of the measures taken was to afforest the area, establishing new outdoor recreational areas, protecting the natural environment and boosting biodiversity. The Greater London Authority has been partnering with businesses regularly and strategically (e.g. Wild West End) to achieve its vision of a National Park City and to address London’s environmental and societal challenges.

The Stakeholder Dialogue Forum will be held in Bizkaia Aretoa, Bilbao (Spain) from 14.00 to 18.00 on 26 April 2016 and is free of charge. The Forum is a pre-event to the 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns for which Stakeholder Forum participants benefit from a reduced registration fee. Registration for the Stakeholder Dialogue Forum can be completed online.

For more information, click here or contact greensurge@iclei.org.