All the city partners have made commitments regarding tree planting, with three committing to major enlargements of their tree canopy cover. Lille is promising 20,000 more trees between now and 2026, while the Province of Antwerp will be targeting 150ha more of forested land in the next two years – a massive commitment in an area known for high level of development. And in Bruges, the city is planning 100 self-sufficient planted areas, which will look after themselves through water storage and release.

Water gets a lot of attention, in fact, with the seven municipalities in De Zuidrand committing to building flood resilience into all their policy making, and two other authorities each promising an additional 10 hectares of wetland during the current decade.

Several cities can look forward to more green space, or improvements in quality in the space they already have. Southend is looking for five new Green Flag designations for its parks, an award that indicates quality and is not given out lightly, while Kapelle will be ensuring that all its green space contributes at least three different ecosystem services to its residents. And on biodiversity, all new build in The Hague will be expected to make some provision for biodiversity in its design, while Cambridge is setting an ambitious target of 20% net biodiversity gain in all Council projects between now and the end of the decade.

Their preparation has been co-ordinated by our research consultant Phil Back, who notes: ‘Taken together, these commitment documents represent a massive step forward in the green infrastructure of the cities concerned. These changes will be visible, will make a difference to citizens’ lives, and will have a positive impact against the threats posed by climate change.’

And these are just the highlights; the documents themselves – which also include commitments to citizen participation, net zero carbon, and research - can be seen in the Nature Smart Cities library.