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From 26 to 29 May 2026, Halifax, Nova Scotia, hosted the first in-person meeting of the EU Cities Gateway Nature-Based Solutions Thematic Cluster. The event brought together representatives from
- Austin (United States)
- Birmingham (United States)
- Dublin (Ireland)
- Halifax (Canada)
- Hamburg (Germany)
- Larissa (Greece)
- Nanaimo (Canada)
- Rijeka (Croatia)
to exchange practical approaches to climate adaptation and begin shaping cooperation for the coming years.
Taking place alongside the Connected Resilience: Atlantic Adaptation Conference 2026, the Halifax exchange connected city-to-city learning with a wider community of climate adaptation experts, policymakers, researchers, engineers, businesses and regional stakeholders. This gave participants the opportunity to look at nature-based solutions not only as local projects, but as part of broader resilience strategies for coastal, urban and regional areas.
Halifax offered a strong setting for the launch of the cluster: As a fast-growing coastal municipality, the city is addressing climate risks linked to flooding, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, post-tropical storms, wildfire risk and pressure on infrastructure. Through HalifACT: Acting on Climate Together and related municipal initiatives, Halifax is working to connect climate adaptation, natural infrastructure, biodiversity and quality of life.
The program took participants from lakes to shorelines and dykelands. Site visits in Dartmouth, known as the “City of Lakes”, presented lake naturalisation projects at Albro Lake Beach, Penhorn Lake and Birch Cove at Lake Banook. These examples showed how shoreline restoration, native planting and ecological design can help manage water, improve biodiversity and make public spaces more resilient.
Further exchanges focused on coastal protection, the use of native plant species in public spaces, dykeland resilience and the “Making Room for Wetlands” approach. Together, these examples highlighted a central message of the event: nature-based solutions are not abstract concepts, but practical tools that cities and regions can use to reduce climate risks while restoring ecosystems and improving people’s daily environments.
Workshops and peer discussions allowed the participating cities to compare priorities and identify areas for future collaboration. Flood risk mitigation, land rehabilitation, wildfire and drought management, heat mitigation, urban forests and parks emerged as common fields of interest across the cluster. While each city faces different local conditions, participants found many shared challenges and opportunities for joint learning.
The event also underlined the importance of working across sectors. Halifax Partnership introduced its CEO Climate Action Charter, showing how business leadership can support emissions reduction, innovation and climate resilience. Participants also learned about Low Carbon Business Action Canada, which promotes cooperation between Canadian and European companies on low-carbon solutions and sustainable business practices.
Below we share some of the key moments in our photo gallery.
