The Naturo Mirco Urban Living Lab (MULL) in Velenje has been dedicated to designing future solutions for an urban park by an inclusive and participatory approach. The park is located between the municipal building and the Velenje upper secondary school, serving local residents, students, and school staff. For the Naturo project, the park has been used as a pilot site to explore how NBS (Nature-based Solutions) and mosaic governance can improve quality and functionality of the space, enhance climate resilience, improve user experience, and promote participatory urban green space management.
The Team and the Process
The project involves municipal representatives, project partners, experts, students, and teachers, reflecting a multi-stakeholder approach to park planning and management. The project has been guided and analysed by academic researchers. A central feature of the project is the active involvement of students and teachers from the Velenje upper secondary school throughout the process. During the analysis phase, participants contributed through behavioural mapping, field observations, and stakeholder identification exercises to better understand how the park is used and what improvements are needed.
The first Naturo workshop, held in October 2024, brought together stakeholders to analyse the park’s current conditions, identify challenges and opportunities, and explore future development scenarios. Building on these findings, the design phase (workshop in February 2026) engaged students in co-creating solutions that aimed at improving the park’s layout, enhancing microclimatic comfort, and developing circular and sustainable urban furniture. This participatory approach reflects a core principle of the Naturo project: involving users directly in the planning, design, and future management of public spaces.
The Municipality
Velenje is an industrial and modernist town with 36 000 inhabitants, located in the pre-alpine region in the eastern part of Šaleška valley in Slovenia. As a regional centre for education, culture, and economic development, the city is actively pursuing green transformation and has extensive experience in managing sustainability projects. The town’s ”Office for Economic Development and Transition” has successfully implemented more than 40 EU co-financed projects. The MULL project contributes to these ambitions by demonstrating how collaborative governance and NBS can support more resilient and attractive urban environments.
The goal of the Naturo Micro Urban Living Lab in Velenje was to propose a future development plan for the park, strengthening its climate resilience, enhancing its user-friendliness and increasing its appeal, especially for students during school hours.
This project has been funded by The Swedish Research Council (Formas), The Dutch Research Council (NOW), and The Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), under the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, which has been co-funded by the European Commission. Project number: F-DUT-2022-0249