Greening the Gap: Connecting Researchers to Address Urban Inequality

The kick-off event of the Centre for City Futures at Erasmus University Rotterdam, “Greening the Gap”, took place on the 7th February 2025. Representatives from the Municipality of Rotterdam and a select group of experts from the UNIC European university alliance and from Resilient Delta came together to explore the interaction of urban green spaces and social equity.   

The event, hosted by the Gemeente Rotterdam, was led by the UNIC portfolio manager Marco Aperti, and there were presentations from the different participating parties. Maarten Nypels, Strategic Advisor and Vital Urban Systems Strategist and Supervisor at Gemeente Rotterdam, opened the event with an inspiring talk about approaches to the topic and the viewpoint of the city. Dr. Prof. Semiha Denktaş, UNIC alliance coordinator formally attended the initiative.  

Jelle Burger, Theme Lead at Resilient Delta, introduced the organization and presented their Bos op Poten initiative, an innovative concept for a mobile, modular urban forest. Designed to increase biodiversity and climate resilience in dynamic urban settings, the project exemplifies how adaptive green infrastructure can respond to environmental and spatial challenges in city environments. 

Next, Chuma Mbambo-Lado, Gluon Researcher at Convergence, and Beitske Boonstra, Former Theme Lead City at Convergence and Assistant Professor of Governance and Pluralism at ESSB (EUR), shared insights from their research on justice-centered approaches to climate adaptation. Their work, conducted within the framework of the JustGreen Interreg Project, explores how climate policies and interventions can be designed to address social inequalities, ensure inclusive decision-making, and promote environmental justice at the local level. 

After the presentations, there were three round tables in which the participants worked towards a shared understanding of concerns about urban greening and social disparities, identifying opportunities for intensified knowledge exchange, both on local and European level. Each of the three round tables provided valuable insights, and the discussion ended on a positive note by stressing the importance of “keeping the uncomfortable feeling of not having solutions yet and treasuring it to continue working”, as put by Marco Aperti.  

Building on the momentum of this event, several follow-up actions are planned. The Centre for City Futures will facilitate continued collaboration between researchers and educators within UNIC and Convergence, creating structured opportunities for knowledge exchange, co-creation of research, and joint applications for European funding. A key priority is strengthening ties with the Municipality of Rotterdam by translating research insights into actionable, locally grounded solutions. Young researchers and educators will be supported in connecting their work to European networks, enhancing both their visibility and impact. 

In the coming months, the participating partners will also identify and develop new collaborative projects, such as Greening Without Borders, that further explore the intersection of urban inequality, climate adaptation, and innovation in city-making. Through these next steps, the Centre for City Futures aims to serve as a dynamic hub for shared learning and cross-scale action, locally anchored and globally connected.