Participating Cities

Tirana is the capital of Albania and has around 476,000 residents. Urban sprawl, lack of energy efficiency, air pollution and other environmental issues are some of the challenges the city faces. Tirana is implementing the “Green Local Plan Tirana 2030” including strategies to create a green belt that consists of 2 million trees around the city - the “Orbital Forest” - as well as the creation of two green rings within the urbanized area. In connection with all these greening efforts, Tirana participates in the “Trees in Cities Challenge” and pledged to plant 500,000 new trees. Thereby, the city seeks to enhance the natural environment and biodiversity, improve air quality, increase its resilience to climate change impacts and create a healthier, more livable urban environment. In order to raise the funds needed for tree planting activities, the city relies on crowdfunding and donations from companies and citizens.

Barcarena is a city in the Northern state of Pará in Brazil inhabited by around 115,000 residents. The canopy cover in Barcarena is low which is addressed by the city’s participation in the “Trees in Cities Challenge” aimed at improving the living quality of its residents and developing the “Urban Afforestation Plan”. In preparation for the planting activities, Barcarena identified low canopy spaces within its urban area followed by on-site assessments in 70 locations. The city implemented its pledge of 1,000 new trees, planting them along streets and in public areas.