Circular Regeneration of Urban Brownfields (CRUB): Co-creating Resilient Green and Social Infrastructure Across Europe

OVERVIEW

As European cities face mounting environmental, social, and spatial pressures, regenerating underused and degraded urban land is a strategic opportunity for climate resilience, social equity, and circularity. This project focuses on the transformation of brownfields—neglected post-industrial or abandoned urban sites—into multifunctional green and social infrastructure, through inclusive, nature-based, and circular strategies.

Many brownfields spontaneously regenerate with vegetation and biodiversity, representing low-cost nature-based solutions (NBS). Yet, their ecological and social value remains under-recognized in urban planning. In Flanders (Belgium), for instance, only 12% of brownfield redevelopments area result in green spaces, with most favoring economically driven uses (housing or business parks ). This illustrates a critical gap between urban transformation agendas and actual implementation.

This project proposes a transnational pilot to co-create, test, and scale protocols for circular, inclusive, and ecologically sound regeneration of brownfields. Working with stakeholders across three European countries, we will demonstrate how these sites can become vital resilient infrastructure—addressing biodiversity loss, urban inequality, and climate adaptation in an integrated way.

GOAL

This transnational pilot aims to transform underused brownfields into multifunctional green and social infrastructure, through nature-based and circular strategies. By co-developing a management protocol rooted in ecological science, participatory planning, and urban resilience principles, we will showcase scalable models that integrate spontaneous regeneration, climate adaptation, and civic inclusion. Comparative case studies in Belgium and partner countries will generate transferable tools and policy recommendations to guide the sustainable reuse of urban land, contribute to EU restoration goals, and support systemic urban transitions.

we aim to:

1. Objectives

   1. Baseline Assessment
      Evaluate the ecological, social, and spatial characteristics of selected brownfield sites, including biodiversity, soil quality, land use history, pollution, and community needs.

   2. Urban Ecosystem Services Mapping
      Estimate the potential provision of ecosystem services under different redevelopment scenarios (e.g., conservation, rewilding, community park, temporary uses).

   3. Circular Regeneration Framework
      Co-develop protocols and tools to guide decision-making, incorporating principles of land circularity, adaptive reuse, and nature-based solutions.

   4. Participatory Co-creation
      Implement local engagement processes to ensure redevelopment aligns with community visions, focusing on inclusion, socio-spatial justice, and co-ownership.

   5. Policy and Planning Integration
      Provide guidelines and policy recommendations for integrating brownfield regeneration into urban planning instruments and climate adaptation strategies.

   6. Transnational Comparison & Knowledge Transfer
      Compare outcomes across countries and produce scalable, replicable models that support the goals of the EU Nature Restoration Law and urban sustainability transitions.

Partners

To build a strong, interdisciplinary, and impactful consortium, we are looking for partners that can contribute complementary expertise, data, and local contexts to co-develop sustainable and resilient strategies for urban brownfields across Europe. As well as partners who may wish to coordinate the call. Specifically, we seek:

• Urban ecology and biodiversity monitoring

• Participatory urban planning and social innovation

• Circular economy and land-use modelling

• GIS and digital tools for co-creation and mapping

• Pilot site implementation (municipalities, NGOs, housing associations)

Expected Outcomes

• A replicable protocol for circular and inclusive brownfield regeneration.

• New insights into low-cost, nature-based infrastructure for urban resilience.

• Digital tools for mapping ecosystem services and land reuse scenarios.

• Strengthened capacities for municipalities and urban planners to integrate brownfields into green and social infrastructure networks.

• Increased public awareness and community ownership of urban ecological transitions.

CONTACT DETAILS

Jeremy Donaire - donaire297@gmail.com