Towards a Regenerative and Climate-Resilient Built Environment: Greening Lessons from European Cities

Nature-Based Solutions offer a concrete opportunity to integrate nature into cities and strengthen their resilience, in response to global challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and water management, which are exacerbated by urban expansion and its impacts on the built environment. This study aims to analyze various European policies and urban greening practices, considering not only some European Union member states but also other cities geographically located in Europe. The main goal is to explore how these solutions are used in various European cities to address environmental challenges and improve urban quality of life. The study highlights the growing role of greening strategies in EU urban policies as key tools to tackle global challenges. It finds that green interventions—such as green roofs, facades, and green urban spaces—offer multifunctional benefits, but their effectiveness relies on integrated planning, strong public–private cooperation, and active community involvement. Key challenges include the limited scalability of these solutions in dense or economically constrained areas and the need for long-term financial and institutional support. Overall, the study highlights that greening is not merely aesthetic but central to building regenerative and climate-resilient cities.