Main Code

MAINCODE | MAINstreaming nature to CO-DEsign urban climate shelters in schoolyards

Discover MAINCODE

MAINCODE aims to frame "urban climate shelters" as a promising cooling demonstration project to transform schoolyards into climate refuges using Nature-based Solutions along with co-design processes to engage children, local communities, policy makers and practitioners.
MAINCODE is based on the concept of “open schooling” that ensures schoolyards are a safe, welcoming and accessible space to everyone, fostering pathways to heat resilient and healthy cities.
MAINCODE advocates urban climate shelters as the “main code” to unlock regenerative urbanism, testing their potential in schoolyards of Turin (Italy) and Halandri (Greece) to inspire other European cities.

Explore MAINCODE Partners

MAINCODE Partners share the mission of mainstream nature by co-designing climate shelters in schoolyards.
We are a powerful alliance of six diverse Partners from across Europe, composed of universities, change-makers, innovation-driven enterprises, and municipalities. Our team combines expertise in climate and social vulnerability, participatory methods, and planning and design with NbS to foster solutions for adapting cities to climate change.

Keep up with MAINCODE

Event

MAINCODE at Giornata della Terra Torino 2026 (Earth Day Turin 2026)

MAINCODE at Giornata della Terra Torino 2026 (Earth Day Turin 2026) On the 25th of April 2026,...

Event

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshop with the Stakeholders in Turin

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshop with the Stakeholders in Turin On the 23rd of April, MAINCODE organises a co-design...

Conference

MAINCODE at Biennale Tecnologia 2026

MAINCODE at Biennale Tecnologia 2026 On the 19th of April, MAINCODE takes part in the session “Chronicle...

Event

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshop with the Children of Carlo Levi Primary School in Turin

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshop with the Children of Carlo Levi Primary School in Turin On the 17th of...

Event

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshops with Children at the 4th and 10th Primary Schools and Kindergartens of Halandri

MAINCODE Co-Design Workshops with Children at the 4th and 10th Primary Schools and Kindergartens of Halandri From...

Publication

Urban Experimentation as a Driver of Climate Adaptation: A European Review of Climate Shelter in National Adaptation Policies and Practices

MAINCODE announces the publication of a new scientific article titled “Urban Experimentation as a Driver of Climate...

Let’s keep in touch

MAINCODE Principal Investigator

MAINCODE Project Manager

MAINCODE has been funded by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR), the Innovation Fund of Denmark (IFD), and General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI) under the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership which has been co-funded by the European Commission. MAINCODE runs from 2025 to 2027