A practical example of how EU funding, municipal expertise and research worked together to make cities more resilient to climate change was delivered by RAINBOW at the University of Stuttgart. As part of the “Europe on Site” bus tour on 12 October 2026, more than 50 participants visited the EU-funded RAINBOW project at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems (VEGAS) at the University of Stuttgart.
RAINBOW explores how soils can better fulfil their natural balancing role in the water cycle - helping to stabilise groundwater recharge and improve cities’ capacity to cope with droughts and heavy rainfall.
The session at the VEGAS institute featured Dr Kristina Schenk from Stuttgart’s Environmental Protection Office, the project’s lead partner, as well as Dr Simon Kleinknecht and Luise Axarlis from VEGAS. They presented sponge-city approaches designed to protect groundwater, prevent contamination and establish a long-term basis for blue-green infrastructure.