How Green Urban Sights Helps Cities Act, Not Just Analyze
When Florian Sallaba began working with satellite imagery in 2004, cities were not the obvious target.
“At the time, we mainly analyzed forests and agriculture,” he says. “Cities were too complex. The data simply was not detailed enough.”
Today, satellites capture cities in extraordinary detail, week after week. And Florian has turned that technological leap into a company.
Green Urbansights takes satellite data and transforms it into decisions. The company helps cities see where heat builds up, understand how their green infrastructure functions, and act before small problems grow into structural risks.
“If 75 percent of Europeans live in cities, then we have to make cities work,” Florian says. “And we need better tools to do that.”
A Researcher Who Refused to Let the Data Sit Still
Florian grew up in Berlin but came to Lund to study. He stayed for his bachelor’s degree, continued with a master’s in geomatics and geographic databases, and eventually completed a PhD in Science.
“I have always wanted to understand how we can monitor the environment from space,” he says. “Satellite images are beautiful, but what matters is what you can do with them.”
For years, researchers focused on crops and forests.
Now the resolution has improved so much that Florian and his team can move into the city itself. They can identify trees, hedges and lawns. They can detect where surfaces trap heat. They can measure how green infrastructure performs, not just where it exists.
That shift changes everything.
From Mapping to Action
Green Urbansights does not just visualize data. It pushes cities to act by simulating impact.
The platform maps how much green infrastructure a city truly has. It shows what kind of vegetation grows there and evaluates how well it functions. It highlights where heat accumulates and where residents risk exposure during extreme weather. It even assesses the vitality of trees and green areas over time.
“Trees are infrastructure,” Florian says. “Green spaces are infrastructure. But many cities do not treat them that way because they lack the tools to measure them properly.”
Instead of reacting to rising temperatures by installing more air conditioning, cities can redesign neighborhoods, strengthen vegetation and cool urban areas naturally.
Green Urbansights identifies and simulates where intervention will have the greatest effect and proposes concrete measures.
“We do not stop at mapping,” Florian explains. “We monitor developments and suggest what cities should do next and provide what an action would lead to.”
Making Regulation Work in Practice
New European legislation, including the European Restoration Law, now requires cities to protect and restore green infrastructure. Swedish regulations point in the same direction. But political ambition alone does not create change.
“Cities need numbers,” Florian says. “They need measurable indicators. Otherwise, they can’t prioritize or justify investments.”
Green Urbansights works directly with municipalities in the project Climate Sights such as Lund, Sjöbo and Svedala, supported by funding from the Swedish National Space Agency.
Together, they analyze how urban areas handle rising temperatures and identify how cities can better protect vulnerable groups.
At the same time, the company has started dialogues with municipalities in Germany, Austria and Spain.
“We are building this for Europe,” Florian says. “Climate adaptation does not stop at national borders.”
Scaling a Deep-Tech Company in a Public Market
Working with municipalities creates impact, but it also creates friction. Public procurement processes move slowly and often favor established suppliers.
So, Green Urban Sights focuses on strengthening what it can control. The team continues to refine the platform, automate analyses and deliver insights faster and with greater precision.
They work closely with customers from the first conversation through delivery, ensuring that the solution evolves together with real-world needs.
“We want to stay close to the entire process,” Florian says. “That is how we maintain quality and build long-term trust.”
Green Urbansights is now hiring, has won innovation competitions such as Nordic PropTech Award 2026, and deepening research collaborations with Lund University.
When Sustainability Becomes Security
The technology reaches beyond climate adaptation.
The same satellite intelligence that helps cities plant trees and reduce heat can also help them function during crisis; or even war.
“If ordinary transport routes fail, municipalities still have to operate,” Florian says. “Healthcare must function. Elderly care must continue. Water and energy systems must hold.”
Sweden serves as both a NATO host nation and a transit country. That reality demands robust logistics planning. If heavy vehicles must take alternative routes, they cannot damage critical underground infrastructure such as district heating systems.
Green Urbansights analyzes landscapes to identify viable transport routes that protect existing infrastructure. The company supports safer rescue operations, personnel relocation and mission planning. Municipalities can use the same analysis to secure supply chains and maintain essential services when traditional routes collapse.
“We contribute to logistics and command-and-control capabilities,” Florian says.
The company in dual-use innovation environments such as AMYNA and engages with actors like Swedish Defense forces, MCF (Sweden Civil Defense and Resilience Agency) and Vinnova to explore how spatial intelligence can strengthen civil and defense resilience simultaneously.
Building Cities That Can Adapt
At its core, Green Urban Sights helps cities prepare; for heat waves, for regulatory pressure, for rapid growth, and for unexpected crises.
The company automates complex analyses, translates data into clear recommendations and enables faster decisions. Instead of guessing, cities can measure. Instead of reacting, they can anticipate.
“We want cities to work, in everyday life and in extraordinary situations,” Florian says.
From space to street level, Green Urbansights turns data into action, and action into resilience.
