The City of Zagreb, the capital of the Republic of Croatia situated on the geographical, cultural, historical and political crossroads of Europe’s east and west, connects the continental and the Mediterranean spirits into a lively whole. The Krapina-Zagorje is a county in northern Croatia, bordering Slovenia.
Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative centre of the Republic of Croatia and the seat of the Parliament, the President and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. According to the 2021 census, the city of Zagreb has 767,131 residents, accounting for 19.8% of the total population of the Republic of Croatia. During its history, people from various parts of Europe came to live in Zagreb, whereas recent history has brought migrations from all over Croatia, contributing to the rich culture of the city. The favourable geographical position between the Pannonian Basin and the edges of the Alps and the Dinaric Alps enabled a spontaneous development of a place of unencumbered communication. The Medvednica mountain protects the city from the cold northern winds, while the spacious lowland and the Sava river open it to the other directions of the world.
The territory of Krapina-Zagorje County covers an area of 1,224.22 km2, constituting 2.16% of the Republic of Croatia’s total area. The county’s most significant industries are metal processing, mineral product manufacturing, and the textile industry. Retail and wholesale trade is the second most important economic activity. Other significant sectors include construction, transport and communication services, and tourism. Agricultural land covers 57.7% of the country’s total area, and arable land occupies 50.4%. Krapina Zagorje County as a regional authority unit actively implements a set of activities that aim to improve citizens’ standard of life. These activities are realized through planning and ensuring development in several areas – education, health, urban planning, traffic, energy efficiency, infrastructure, economy and civil society. There are many EU projects and actions regarding community – financing schools, clinics, local roads, preserving nature and biodiversity, helping local economy to grow, trying to be completely transparent doing these jobs, accessible to public at any time and involving citizens in decision-making. Krapina Zagorje County has adopted short and medium term priorities, upgrading and improving strategic documents and defining guidelines in particular areas, in accordance with national documents and EU standards and best practices.
The City of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje County face distinct climate challenges due to their specific orography, population density, and levels of urbanisation and industrialisation. However, their goal remains the same. The City of Zagreb is a signatory of two EU Missions: Adaptation to Climate Change and Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, both aimed at supporting regions, local authorities, and communities in achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Additionally, Zagreb has signed the Covenant of Mayors for Energy and Climate and is developing an Action Plan for Sustainable Energy Development and Climate Adaptation for the City of Zagreb. It is also a member of the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management and a signatory of the Green Digital Charter, the Aalborg Charter, andthe Basque Declaration. On the other hand, Krapina-Zagorje County is also a signatory of the Mission on Adaptation, and numerous cities and municipalities within the country are signatories of the Covenant of Mayors and have developed the Urban Green Renewal Strategy.
Within the ARCADIA project, the City of Zagreb will focus on establishing or restoring blue-green spaces in urban areas, as well as on developing interventions for urban brownfileds to address the challenges of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and flash flooding. On the other hand, Krapina-Zagorje County will focus on Integrating the green infrastructure elements into urban and industrial landscapes to mitigate adverse microclimatic impacts and enhance urban biodiversity, Enhancing resilience in landslide-prone areas through innovative NbS that prevent surface erosion and strengthen slope stability.