The world is facing big challenges due to the enormous expansion of the urban areas as a consequence of the transitioning of people from rural to urban areas. The situation is very similar also in the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM). Moreover, the urban planning is happening without any control or proper spatial planning, which in turn significantly affects the living standards and the condition of the environment in the urban areas. Direct consequences of the uncontrolled urbanization include, dramatic decrease of the public green areas, increased aeropollution and CO2 emissions, as well as decrease of the overall biodiversity. All these negatively affect the human wellbeing and the public health.
Implementation of sustainable urban solutions/practices present a solution to this problem. #Sustainable cities and communities? is one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (Goal 11).
Number of studies in the world show that urban gardening supports positive and sustainable socio-economic and environmental development, as well as it improves the quality of life in the urban areas. Urban gardening directly promotes expansion of public urban green areas, it supports biodiversity and climate-neutral local food production and leads to improved public health. Urban gardening is still in its infancy in RNM.
Bitola is one of the most densliy populated city in RNM with extremely high airpollution (also worldwide). Although Bitola has a relatively sufficient number of public spaces, very small number include green spaces and most of them are actually in a very bad condition and hence are not being used by the local community.
Given all issues mentioned here, it is of crucial importance to promote and implement sustainable and socially inclusive urban practices in order improve the living conditions in the city of Bitola.

This project proposal is perfectly in line with the OP7 Initiative for ?Catalization of sustainable urban solutions?, as it promotes and implements socially-inclusive and sustainable urban solutions and it improves the biodiversity and the environment. The project proposal meets all call?s criteria:
- it is replicable (can be both replicated and expanded);
- it includes the local community
- it has measurable positive effects on the environment (expansion of green areas)
- it is based on partnership with a national CSO and a local municipal school
- it will result in self-sustainability (sales from urban garden produce)
- it involves inclusion of youth population (students of SOZU ?K. Shapkarev?)
- it provides awareness raising, strengthening of capacities and knowledge of the local population and the youth population on urban sustainable solutions
- it has a positive socio-economic effect and offers potential for investment scale-up
- it incorporates educational activities for the local community and the youth population
- it includes PR on the development and results of the project.