Gzira’s 1st Cross Learning Workshop

On March 5th, our CiPeL Gzira held the first Cross Learning Workshop with its twinning city Palma de Mallorca. It was an online meeting where members of the Research Innovation Unit, University of Malta, Prospex Institute and ISOCARP Institute, as well as representatives from Palma de Mallorca took part.

First, members of the CiPeL introduced the JUSTNature project and some of the main challenges that Gzira is currently facing. The discussion revolved around the impacts of climate change on urban heat islands and how the use of a digital twin can mitigate climate change.

The Palma representatives, in turn, presented an overview of their city's current projects related to nature-based solutions. Among them, some include creating walkable pathways to connect the forest to the city and sustainable urban drainage systems to regenerate the coast. Both teams drew comparisons to the problems faced in Gzira, such as high-density of buildings and the car dependency of the residents. Palma's impressive and ambitious urban plans to create green pathways were discussed, which served as an inspiration for Gzira to learn from their achievements and replicate nature-based solutions on a smaller scale.

Discussions regarding tree sustainability were also part of the workshop: due to similar weather conditions, both Gzira and Palma de Mallorca suffer from drought, which makes it hard to sustain trees that require considerable amounts of water.

Palma’s representatives expressed their interest in the Digital Twin and in replicating the urban heat island app developed in Gzira and agreed to discuss together further technical assistance. They also expressed interest in using the token game to facilitate stakeholder discussions.

All in all, the workshop built solid bridges for further knowledge exchange and collaboration between the two cities.