Learning Agenda Greenery in and around the City (GIOS)
The Greenery in and around the city (GIOS) Guide is becoming an increasingly important tool for municipalities and provinces working to create a healthy, climate-resilient, and biodiverse living environment. With the GIOS Learning Agenda 2025–2026, we are building on last year’s successful learning agenda. In that initiative, we collaborated with dozens of government agencies and knowledge partners to improve urban green standards and ensure the integration of green spaces into spatial plans.
The new learning agenda focuses on future-proof green space management, pilot projects, knowledge sharing, and regional and provincial implementation. Together, we are thereby strengthening the ongoing development toward a widely supported and practically applicable GIOS 2.0 Guide.
Learning Agenda 2024-2025
The Greenery in and around the City (GIOS) Learning Agenda 2024–2025 focused on learning by doing. We collaborated with government agencies to test and improve the GIOS Guide in practice, with a focus on practical tools and robust green standards. As part of the learning agenda, four in-depth reports were produced that strengthen the GIOS methodology. These are:
- The integration of the tree standard within GIOS, including measurement methods for tree canopy cover and volume.
- Securing green spaces, with a focus on legal, planning, and procedural anchoring on private land.
- Pilots and practical testing regarding baseline measurements, green standards, and the GIOS roadmap.
- Municipal main green structures, with guidelines for policy and spatial anchoring and implementation in projects.
Why the GIOS Learning Agenda 2025 – 2026?
The learning agenda provides a shared platform to establish a permanent place for urban greenery in the built environment. Within this platform, we align standards and definitions, monitor and evaluate urban greenery, and immediately apply new insights in pilot projects. At the same time, we actively share knowledge within the GIOS network. There is a great deal of enthusiasm among the participating parties. That is why we are taking the next step together toward a future-proof and more uniform approach to green spaces.
Pillars of the 2025–2026 Learning Agenda
Future-proof green management
We are developing tools to structurally link green management to green standards, quality, and the functioning of green spaces. In this way, we ensure that urban green spaces continue to contribute to health, biodiversity, and climate adaptation in the long term.
Pilots & knowledge sharing
We learn by doing. Through pilots, meetings, and knowledge exchange, we test GIOS in practice and share insights within the national GIOS network in accessible formats.
Regional & provincial impact
Through a single targeted project, we strengthen the role of provinces and regions in GIOS, for example by connecting regional networks, working on regional green infrastructure frameworks, or improving provincial involvement in expansion sites.
Collaboration within the Learning Agenda
The existing organizational structure will remain in place, as it has proven highly effective. It consists of:
- Core Group: oversees the mission and progress.
- Project & Program Management: facilitates, monitors the schedule, and links results.
- Sub-project Teams: work on specific themes such as green standards and pilot projects.
The Learning Agenda operates on a fully co-creative basis: participants help determine the direction and contribute their own case studies and knowledge.
Join us and help build the green city of the future
Do you want to contribute to a uniform, practical, and future-proof approach to urban green spaces? Do you want to conduct pilot projects, share knowledge, or help improve the GIOS Guide? Municipalities such as Amersfoort, Leeuwarden, Hilversum, Urk, and Groningen, as well as provinces such as the Province of Utrecht and the Province of South Holland, have already joined. Join the GIOS Learning Agenda 2025–2026 and help build the green city of tomorrow.
