Last Thursday, May 22nd, Vilanova i la Geltrú hosted the 8th Coastal Governance Conference of the Garraf region, a well-established gathering that this year focused on the challenges and solutions for climate change adaptation in coastal areas. Organized by the City Council of Vilanova i la Geltrú, the Garraf County Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council, and ENT, the conference served as a space for collective reflection and debate among administrations, universities, and local stakeholders.
The central theme of the conference was the European project SCORE (Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities), which promotes the development of smart solutions to increase the resilience of coastal cities. During the first thematic block, several representatives of this project — among them Mar Riera from ENT — presented the results of the Coastal City Living Lab in Vilanova i la Geltrú, highlighting initiatives such as ecosystem restoration, environmental sensor deployment, and citizen participation as key strategies for addressing the climate crisis.
The consultancy ENT played a prominent role both in coordinating the event and facilitating technical debates. In the second block, dedicated to experience sharing, technician Luís Campos (ENT) moderated a session on nature-based solutions, featuring inspiring examples from municipalities such as Malgrat de Mar and Oarsoaldea. These initiatives underscored the value of natural spaces as active defenses against the impacts of climate change.
In parallel, the importance of environmental sensing and monitoring for informed decision-making was also discussed, with contributions from research centers and universities such as the University of Alicante and UPC.
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion on future opportunities, where strategies were presented to strengthen coastal resilience through public policy and multi-level governance. In the afternoon, a technical visit was held at the restored wetland area of Platja Llarga — a practical example of a nature-based solution that integrates biodiversity, social use, and coastal protection, partially funded by the SCORE project.