Three mistakes that hinder a green infrastructure strategy (and how to avoid them)
In recent years, green infrastructure has evolved from an environmental concept to a strategic pillar for cities seeking to improve resilience, comfort, and urban quality. However, many local strategies fall short: diagnoses are not implemented, projects are halted, and subsidies are lost or spent without lasting impact.
The cause is rarely a lack of will or funding. The problem lies in how strategies are conceived, managed, and implemented. In this article we address the three most frequent mistakes that hinder the progress of municipalities and, above all, how to avoid them with realistic solutions that can be applied from the first year.
Published October 9, 2025 · AI and digitization · Institutions
1. Confusing planning with execution
The first major obstacle appears even before we begin: confusing diagnosis with strategy. Many local councils spend months gathering information and drafting technical documents, but they don't define how or by whom they will be implemented. The result is a comprehensive diagnosis that barely changes the reality of the territory.
A study of the European Environment Agency The urban adaptation study shows that more than 60% European cities with environmental plans fail to implement them more than 30% of the planned actions. The pattern repeats itself: excessive analysis, lack of accountability, and absence of follow-up.
Diagnosis without direction
Plenty of information, zero impact. Nobody knows who's doing what or when.
Purposeful diagnosis
The objective is defined and pilot execution is initiated in parallel (quick wins).
How to avoid it
- Establish from the beginning a maximum timeframe for the diagnostic phase (for example, eight weeks).
- Create in parallel a initial implementation plan, even with pilot projects.
- To appoint a operational manager by line of action, not only in the technical area.
- Measure progress visually: monthly milestone panel (actions initiated, % budget executed, visible impact).
A strategy without action is not a strategy: it's inventory.
These practices are aligned with the recommendations of MITECO For the deployment of green infrastructure and ecological connectivity: combine analysis and execution to avoid technical paralysis.
2. Not thinking beyond the short term
The second mistake is more subtle, but equally limiting: the lack of continuity and long-term vision. In too many municipalities, green strategies are conceived with a political horizon, not a city-wide one. Each term redefines priorities, renames projects, or abandons them without evaluating their impact.
It's not a problem unique to Spain; a report from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability It indicates that near the 70% Many European cities with urban resilience plans have suffered disruptions due to administrative changes or internal reorganizations. Local policies operate on four-year cycles, but nature, soil, and climate require continuity of at least a decade.
Political horizon (≈4 years)
Election calendar, short-term visibility, project rebranding.
Green infrastructure horizon (10–15 years)
Ecological connectivity, thermal comfort, urban resilience and maintenance.
How to avoid it
- Decouple the strategy from the electoral cycle: approve it through a technical or plenary agreement with broad consensus.
- Define a ten-year time horizon, with realistic annual reviews.
- Create a interdepartmental monitoring committee (environment, urban planning and communication).
- Translate the strategic axes into tangible benefits (shade, comfort, urban health) to sustain adherence.
Green initiatives yield results when planned beyond a single legislative term.
At Rumbo & Resultados we see it frequently: when a green infrastructure strategy is formulated with city vision —not from government—, the political return still comes, but accompanied by trust and institutional continuity. The key is not in doing more, but in to do with purpose. Also find inspiration in the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change.
3. Execute without direction or structure
The third mistake is the most visible in practice: the lack of an operational structure to execute what was planned. Many local councils are excellent at attracting European or regional funds, but their actual execution capacity collapses when it comes to organizing resources and coordinating areas.
The problem isn't technical, but organizational. Each department works independently, without a single person in charge to align schedules, budgets, and communication. The result: projects progressing unevenly, hastily hired staff, and an administrative burden that exhausts the teams.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, in the Next Generation funds the average actual execution in municipalities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants does not exceed 45%. In other words: more than half of the money goes unused or is spent late.
Fragmented management
Each area on its own, late tenders, no shared milestones.
Aligned management
Cross-functional Project Manager + team of 3-5 people with agile decision-making skills.
How to avoid it
- Name a Environmental or transversal Project Manager, with technical authority to coordinate and prioritize.
- Form a small operating team (3-5 people) with clear functions.
- Plan the staffing before applying for the grant, not after.
- Implement a monthly tracking system: actions completed, expenditure executed, deviations and lessons learned.
The approach aligns with best practices of ICLEI and the resources of FEMP, who recommend lean structures and stable technical leadership to stay the course. If your municipality recognizes this situation, consider our service of Environmental Project Manager as a bridge between strategy and daily management.
4. Case studies
Case A — Coastal city without continuity
A Mediterranean municipality of approximately 45,000 inhabitants. In 2021, it launched its green infrastructure strategy with 16 projects and a grant of €1.2 million.
Following a change of government, the plan is interrupted: objectives are redefined, project names are changed, and the main tender is halted. Result: execution of 38 % of the budget and loss of part of the funding.
Solution applied
- The new team retains the original axles and creates a technical monitoring committee with monthly meetings.
- In six months, three projects are reactivated and the [missing information] is recovered. 60 % of the initial funds.
- The communication focuses on concrete benefits: more shade in squares and improved routes to school.
Case B — Inner city with cross direction
A municipality of 30,000 inhabitants in a metropolitan area. In 2022, it approved a green infrastructure strategy but lacks an operational structure.
He decides to partially outsource the coordination, hiring a Environmental Project Manager for 10 months connecting environment, works and communication.
Results
- In less than a year, the 72 % of the planned actions and improves budget traceability.
- Citizens identify visible progress (more accessible parks, shaded areas, a section of green corridor).
- The cost of the service is equivalent to ~4 % of the total investment, with a clear institutional return: continuity and efficiency.
If you recognize yourself in either of these cases, check out our Green infrastructure strategy and the support of Environmental Project Manager to maintain the pace of execution and interdepartmental coordination.
5. Quick checklist: Is your strategy stalling?
- Does your diagnosis have closing date and a parallel implementation plan?
- Are strategic decisions detached from the electoral cycle And with a ten-year horizon?
- Is there a cross-functional operational manager and an interdepartmental committee?
- Are subsidies planned according to execution capacity (resources and times) and not the other way around?
- Is there a monthly tracking system with visible and shared KPIs?
6. Conclusion
Green infrastructure strategies are not held back by a lack of ideas or money. They are held back by lack of focus, continuity, and structured management. An effective strategy is not the one with the most actions, but the one that is executed, communicated well, and sustained over time.
Moving forward doesn't require large investments, but method, clarity and technical leadership. Municipalities that combine planning with action, long-term vision, and professional management are the ones that achieve visible and lasting results.
Cities are not transformed solely through reports, but through well-guided decisions.
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We prioritize actions and support the technical direction.
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