The model is an innovation in a participatory way in greening the city because:
- Baia Mare is currently transitioning from its past as Romania's mining capital towards a new resilient-based sustainable development model.
- Uses plants to decontaminate the polluted sites.
- Tools developed to map the process of decontamination (iGIS) and the timing needed to decontaminate the sites (Phitoremediation calculator).
- Resulting plants can be used by new local businesses.
- There is a space (Hub), a physical maker space to meet and share experiences and learnings while using the machinery at the disposal of the citizens with the ultimate goal of uniting the community bounds to create a new 2050 urban reality.
- There is a reward system to encourage citizens to participate (iLEU).
- We used co-design participatory processes with citizens through the Local Action Network.
- We tested a Start-up mentoring programme, building a new culture of bio-based innovation for businesses.

The initiative has already been implemented. The Initiative´s timeline goes from Spring 2019 to Summer 2023.

The initiative Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are built upon the SDGs - particularly Goal 11 - and the EU Action domains affecting the project: Smart and sustainable Urban Development Assessments and Nature-Based Solutions. The eight specific measurement areas are (1) climate adaptation and mitigation, (2) green space management, (3) air/ ambient quality, (4) urban regeneration, (5) participatory planning and governance, (6) social justice and social cohesion, (7) public health and well-being, and (8) potential for a new green economy and green jobs, with a total number of 28 indicators.

We are now in the post implementation phase in which we are trying to involve Central Authorities (the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Digitalization and the Ministry of Finance) as well as to further expand the community involvement.

SPIRE combines cross-sectorial partnership:

• Academicians: USAMV- contamination, remediation plants & analysis.
• Public authorities: Baia Mare Metropolitan Area.
• Private enterprises: Green Energy & ARIES Transylvania - mentoring programme, bio-based models, and the communication and partnership activities.
• SMEs: Urbasofia & Indeco Soft underpin the knowledge of participatory urban planning and software development to create and implement the iGIS, iLEU, and Maker Space platforms. UIA expert.

The multi-stakeholder framework involves:

1. Citizen engagement-interviews and focus groups; social research activities with teachers, parents and students from several schools.
2. Co-creation processes; involving digital surveys for citizens, several workshops for youth with the SPIRE Hub as a meeting point. STARTUPS mentoring programme for young entrepreneurs. Several public Plantathlons at the pilot sites.
3. International expert community; supports with several webinars & international events.

From the social lens: (1) Urban health improvement due to soil remediation; (2) Awareness, knowledge and capacity building related to sustainability; (3) Citizens' environmental behaviour shifts towards an eco-friendly culture.

From the environmental lens: (1) Circa 7 Ha of polluted land reclaimed for public use; (2) Urban landscape co-design and co-production through phytoremediation techniques; (3) Urban system re-naturalization and re-connection strategy.

From the economic lens: (1) Underused local resources stimulation; (2) Bio-based products and business models; (3) Bio-based energy supply to reduce the overall GHG emissions in Baia Mare.

The phytoremediation techniques implementation suffered delays due to COVID-19 since the planting seasons and planned public Plantathlons could not be followed accurately. Some of the specific vegetal species had to be changed due to logistics. The plants did not survive in the contaminated soil so successive plantings were needed.

The city had not performed participatory urban processes before. Digital technologies enabled community awareness, commitment, and individual action.

The iLEU encountered several legal barriers. Regulations across Europe about the creation & usage of local currencies are different. Specific laws enable the circulation of electronic currencies in certain conditions.

The combined participation of public servants and the community was the most important success factor, followed by the openness to innovation.

The most important resources and conditions:
- Willingness of Local Authority to innovate & experiment.
- The students who got involved in the planting & co-creation actions.
- The community that actively participated in all activities.
- A proactive business community.
- iLEU usage.

Further measures taken included:
- On-going awareness & co-creation activities in the Hub by involving more city schools.
- Finding promotion methods.
- Developing a presentation in a simple way (a toolkit).
- Presenting the danger of pollution in the form of articles, activities and films.
- Involvement in good practice European projects.

Nature-based phytoremediation solutions are linked to adaptation and climate resilience. They work hand in hand with risk reduction strategies enabling an effective response to recover and "build back better."

The iLEU reward platform-supported by the iGIS smart system, already in place-is a green economic replicable action that has created a new culture-shifting towards resilience, not only in citizens' environmental behavior and green rationale but also in legal frameworks and procedures.

Pollution is one of the most significant environmental challenges worldwide, and the lessons learnt related to phytoremediation in a city context  have great potential for scalability and marketability.

The impact of COVID-19 has shown the value of SPIRE, in terms of reclaiming and enhancing Baia Mare's green infrastructure, particularly relevant due to the health and climatic crises. The citizens' physical and psychological well-being is enhanced through healthy interaction with green infrastructure.

Any city that wants to apply phytoremediation techniques to clean the soil from heavy-metal pollution can learn from Baia Mare's experience: what are the appropriate vegetal species, where to get them, when is the right moment to plant them, and how to do it properly to get the maximum impact on soil decontamination.