From 22–24 September 2026, the Urban ReLeaf consortium gathered in Athens, Greece, for its final General Assembly, bringing partners from across Europe together with around 100 days remaining until the project concludes at the end of December.
The three-day meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on nearly four years of collaboration, celebrate what has been achieved, and look ahead to the final phase of the project and opportunities for continued collaboration beyond Urban ReLeaf.
Reflecting on the Journey
The meeting opened by looking back at the project’s journey, from the original 2022 Horizon Europe call and 2023 kick-off in Laxenburg, through General Assemblies in Utrecht and Cascais, to the successful European Commission reviews.
Since its launch, Urban ReLeaf has developed three mobile applications, deployed more than 400 wearable heat sensors, explored inclusive approaches to citizen science, and generated new evidence through impact evaluations. The first day also featured a demonstration of the Toolkit, Roadmap and Governance Model, and the results of an inclusivity analysis showing how well the pilot campaigns reached different communities.
Turning Learning into Lasting Impact
With the project entering its final months, the second day focused on ensuring this knowledge can continue to create impact beyond the project. Partners worked collaboratively on exploitation pathways, publications, impact evaluation and dissemination, while city partners shared experiences from their Community and Culture Pop-Up Labs and contributed to filming for the project’s final film.
The meeting also celebrated the project’s growing reach. Urban ReLeaf has welcomed more than 274,000 website visitors and social media engagements, and generated a growing library of resources, data and stories that will continue to support cities exploring citizen science and nature-based approaches to urban climate adaptation.
Looking Ahead
The final day brought partners together to explore new data, technology and opportunities for future collaboration, alongside a visit to the National Observatory of Athens.
The General Assembly concluded with reflections on lessons learned, what should continue, and ideas for future projects and funding opportunities. As the project nears its end, partners celebrated three years of achievements, and the relationships, knowledge and tools they built will keep supporting cities as they put citizen science into practice and will carry into future collaborations and projects.
Stay tuned for the launch of our Toolkit, Roadmap, Governance Model, project film and other exciting outputs!