Icelanders trained city hall officials

Engineers from the Icelandic company Verkís came to Gryfino to train 70 office workers and local government officials from the Szczecin Metropolitan Area and Gryfino County.

The training will take place on 19-20 March 2024 at the “White Ribbon” conference house in Czepino near Gryfino.

The topic of the training was the implementation of blue and green infrastructure in cities. This action will allow cities to be more effectively prepared for climate change (droughts, local flooding and heavy rains).

On the first day, employees of local government institutions from Szczecin Metropolitan Area were trained. The second day was attended by representatives of the communes from Gryfino County.

Sigurður Grétar Sigmarsson, water resources engineer, discussed the issues related to rainwater retention in cities, deconcreting urban space and the need to design cities in accordance with the specific terrain and hydrological characteristics.

Ulla Pedersen, landscape architect, presented examples of effective development of greenery in urban spaces. She showed Copenhagen as an example, which has experienced numerous floods in recent years. This experience prompted the Danes to introduce modern solutions in the field of blue-green infrastructure, protecting the city against the negative effects of heavy rains and urban heat islands.