Turin and Halandri are designated as our pilot cities, providing schoolyards to test and validate the MAINCODE methodology. They play a key role in the project’s success by enabling the implementation of urban climate shelters and supporting their upscaling through connection to current adaptation strategies and projects.
Turin and Halandri face similar heat-related challenges and share a common commitment to improving school environments. Both are advancing toward climate neutrality, as Turin and Athens (Halandri’s metropolitan city) are part of the EU Cities Mission targeting climate neutrality by 2030.
Turin and Halandri enable the testing of climate shelters in schoolyards as a concrete response to some of Europe’s most pressing climate challenges.
The City of Turin, in Italy’s Piedmont Region, has undergone intense urban development, having been a major Italian industrial hub until the 1990s. This growth has led to high land imperviousness, making the city increasingly vulnerable to climate-related risks such as heat waves and flooding. Despite these challenges, Turin is taking bold steps towards sustainability. Turin is increasingly investing in NbS, sustainable mobility, and energy transition, positioning itself as a national reference in the fight against climate change. In the education sector, Turin is working to make schools more sustainable. A notable initiative is the School Squares project, which transforms school entrances into safe and accessible spaces. In coherence with these initiatives, MAINCODE can play a vital role by offering an opportunity to transform schools into hubs of heat resilience and community engagement, contributing to climate adaptation and social inclusion. By integrating environmental, social, and educational goals, MAINCODE supports Turin in creating a new model of open, climate-responsive schoolyards, aligned with the city’s ecological transition strategy.
The City of Halandri, one of Athens’ largest suburbs, has rapidly urbanised in recent decades, increasing pressure on local resources and heightening vulnerability to climate hazards like heat waves and flooding. The city centre experiences a weekend influx, as it hosts the largest leisure area in northern Metropolitan Athens. This dynamic brings challenges like traffic, pollution, poor walkability, and limited green space. To address these issues, Halandri is actively implementing environmental and climate-resilience initiatives, with a focus on expanding green public spaces and creating walkable, low-car corridors that connect neighbourhoods to the city centre. Thanks to its proximity to Athens, a city committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2030, Halandri is well-positioned to be part of this ambitious transition. In the education sector, the city is advancing sustainability measures in schools, including energy efficiency improvements and environmental education workshops. MAINCODE offers a strategic opportunity for Halandri by enhancing outdoor learning environments, providing greener, cooler, and more inclusive spaces for children and the broader community.
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