WGIN virtual event: Project collaboration incubator

WGIN virtual event: Project collaboration incubator

With great pleasure WGIN invites you to the first WGIN open virtual meeting March 26th, 2021: WGIN Project Collaboration Incubator.

The year 2020 has almost completely deprived us of the possibility for direct exchange of experiences and face to face sharing of news from our countries. The mission of WGIN is to promote knowledge development and implementation of green infrastructure (GI), especially green roofs and walls, in all cities of the world. Increasing the pace of urban greening can be facilitated through various programs of support, both at the level of knowledge transfer and practical implementation of green infrastructure. Organizations associated in WGIN differ in structure and origin. Together we have comprehensive representation: scientists, representatives of municipal offices, NGOs, architects, landscape architects, contractors, designers and market suppliers of GI products.

By combining our knowledge and experience, we can make the world greener!

During this WGIN virtual meeting, we aim to discover possibilities for international project cooperation, primarily within Europe. WGIN members and stakeholders will present their organization’s interest and opportunities for international cooperation in projects promoting and implementing green infrastructure. Programs for financial support from the European Union will be presented. WGIN anticipates that similar programs will be launched in the coming years, not only in the EU, but worldwide. By mutually sharing information about our interests, competence, capacity and experience, we can identify possibilities for project collaboration. Project themes identified from the first WGIN Project Collaboration Incubator will set the stage for follow up meetings and discussions in smaller groups on project relevant topics, for example: biodiversity, urban farming, energy efficiency of buildings, health of city dwellers, rainwater retention, prevention and mitigation of urban heat island effect etc.

Please note that WGIN’s role in the incubator is to bring potential project actors together. WGIN doesn’t normally take a project leadership role, but individual WGIN members and board members may, on behalf of other organizations, assume various project participation roles. All meeting attendees will be asked on the event registration form to provide information about their project ideas and potential roles.

Time /place: 10:00 – 11:30 CET, March 26th, 2021 / GoToMeeting (link will be sent to attendees)

Meeting hosts:

Marta Weber – Siwirska – WGIN board member. Chairperson, Polish Green Roof Association

David Brasfield – WGIN board member. Chairperson, Norwegian Association for Green Infrastructure

Please register for your free attendance at the virtual Collaboration Incubator meeting here and please do forward this invitation to other potential GI project collaborators within your network.

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Green roofs for urban rainwater and stormwater management

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Green roof research measures performance, but not yet people

New study maps 25 years of green roof literature and finds affordability and social equity nearly invisible. Submitted by WGIN members Ferre Maes and Bert Belmans In a study published in City and Environment Interactions, WGIN members Ferre Maes and Bert Belmans, together with Roméo Delcroix (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), analysed more than 3,500 green roof articles published between 2000 and 2025. They tracked how often 13 performance dimensions appear in titles, abstracts and keywords. The results show a clear imbalance. Stormwater management appears in 37% of publications, urban heat island mitigation in 19% and building energy in 18%. Affordability (1.7%) and social equity (3.2%) are among the least visible topics in the field, and have remained marginal for 25 years. The study does not show that green roof implementation is inequitable; it shows that the published evidence cannot yet answer this question. Research on parks, urban greening and green stormwater infrastructure engages with affordability and equity far more often, which shows this gap can be closed. There is no reason green roof research can’t do the same. A call to action WGIN’s mission is to advocate and promote the integration of green infrastructure in urban planning, globally. But planning decides who benefits, and evidence on who benefits is largely missing. If we want cities, funders and residents to trust green roofs as a public good, we need to be open about what we know and what we don’t. That openness is also an opportunity: evidence on affordability and equity is what opens the door to public funding, social housing and neighbourhoods green roofs have yet to reach. We call on our community to: Count people, not just performance. In research papers, project reports and case studies alike, report cost, access and who benefits alongside technical results. In publications, name affordability and equity explicitly in titles and abstracts so the work can be found. Plan for equity from the start. Build these questions into green roof strategies, subsidies, projects and research calls, before roofs are built. Make costs transparent. Manufacturers, installers and researchers alike can share life-cycle cost data, from installation and maintenance to lifespan and savings, in a consistent and anonymised format, so support schemes can reach beyond those who can already afford a green roof. Neighbouring fields already study performance and people together. The green roof community can too! Read the full paper here: 10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100476 (open access)

WGIN Global Green Roof Professional Development and Accreditation Programme – Call for National Associations Partners

In April 2026, WGIN launched the Global Green Roof Professional Development and Accreditation Programme. This initiative aims to establish an internationally recognised professional training programme focused on green roof design, installation practices, maintenance, and long-term performance. The online training is designed to deliver a set of universal quality best practices rooted in knowledge rather than technical skills. The programme’s intent is to accelerate the development of national and regional green roof markets by providing online training and accreditation.  The Global Green Roof Professional Development and Accreditation Programme is now looking for two national associations to design national training modules and examination questions based on the core curriculum developed under this project. The application process is open until 7 September. Selected national associations will be contacted by 21 September. For more information, see the call for interest. To apply for the call of interest, visit this link.