The ARIES platform, developed at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), is contributing its expertise in adaptive risk assessment and vulnerability management to JUST4CARE, a new Horizon Europe project aimed at making climate adaptation in European cities more just, inclusive, and resilient.
Coordinated by BC3, the three-year project brings together 16 partners from seven countries to co-develop innovative solutions in cities such as Madrid, Ankara, Budapest, Zagreb, Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Valencia, Krakow, Oslo, Rome, and Utrecht, among others.
Earlier this week, representatives from all partner organisations gathered in Madrid for the project’s two-day kick-off meeting, marking the official start of this European collaboration. Partners shared their visions and defined initial steps to ensure that climate adaptation across Europe becomes both effective and socially just.
Within JUST4CARE, ARIES will contribute to the quantitative data and modelling components of the project, applying its semantic, AI-driven technology to identify and evaluate urban vulnerabilities to climate hazards.
Building on experience from previous risk and vulnerability assessments in cities such as Valencia, Vitoria, and several U.S. cities, ARIES will introduce its modelling framework to support adaptive and data-driven decision-making for addressing structural inequalities in urban climate resilience.
Through ARIES, we aim to bridge science and society by building a dynamic space where data-driven modelling meets the lived realities of marginalised communities. By combining stakeholder perspectives with scientific insight, we can co-create pathways towards just and resilient cities.
Sudeshna Kumar, ARIES urban modeller and leader of the WP3- Adaptative risk assessment and vulnerability management of JUST4CARE at BC3
JUST4CARE seeks to transform climate adaptation by integrating justice, equity and resilience into urban and regional planning. The project focuses on the needs of vulnerable groups who are most affected by climate change in European cities.
Jaione Ortiz de Zarate, Urban Planner specialised in health and Resilience, Technical Coordinator of JUST4CARE
Urban planning is at the heart of climate justice. With JUST4CARE, we are exploring how cities can adapt through governance models that recognise vulnerability, foster participation, and integrate care into the very fabric of urban transformation. Resilience begins where planning meets people.
Local communities in each city will play an active role in co-designing and testing adaptation solutions. This approach will ensure inclusive citizen participation and the implementation of policies guided by climate justice.
Stay tuned for more insights and results from JUST4CARE as we work towards fairer and more resilient climate adaptation across Europe!
