In this second webinar, several cities from all over Europe shared their experience and inspired each other
How can cities involve citizens in the green transition and raise awareness?
How can they provide innovative services to help change bad habits?
The second CLIMAWEBINAR Mobilising communities of practices: energy and mobility highlighted the importance of engaging citizens through ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing to achieve carbon neutrality successfully. This webinar provided detailed insights into community involvement, communication strategies, and new ways to encourage local societies to join the transition process.
Different experiences throughout Europe, the same goal
The webinar brought together CLIMABOROUGH partners, experts, stakeholders and practitioners to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with creating sustainable and inclusive cities.
The pilot cities of Differdange (Luxemburg), Athens (Greece), Pilsen (Czech Republic) and Grenoble Alpes Metropole (France) showcased their experiences with community engagement and implementation of local policies. The panel was further enriched by testimonials from Florence and Turin (Italy), and Dublin (Ireland), focusing on their mobility initiatives and the role played by data and communication in their implementation.
Takeaways to guide future sustainable mobility and energy initiatives
- Learning from each other despite differences
Every city is unique and it is crucial to understand the specific context of each urban area when implementing energy and mobility solutions. While it’s important to acknowledge the differences, the workshop emphasised the need to focus on the similarities to replicate successful solutions in different cities.
- A new governance model
A new governance model is required to effectively address the complexities of urban transformation. This model should include considerations of the political implications, performance indicators and multiple other factors. By adopting a comprehensive governance approach, cities can ensure sustainable and holistic development.
- Building societal insight engagement and participation alongside digitalisation
Transformational change can be achieved by bringing together societal insight, active engagement, and digitalisation efforts. By combining these elements, cities can enhance citizen participation and leverage technology for innovative and inclusive solutions.
- Setting up collaborations with the private sector
There is a significant shift in funding. Historically, cities have relied heavily on public sector funds. However, this trend is changing, with estimates suggesting that up to 85% of future funding will come from the private sector. Therefore, it is essential to understand how to effectively collaborate and work with private entities to finance and implement projects.
- Managing innovation
Innovation plays a crucial role but must be managed effectively. By implementing effective management practices, cities can maximise the potential impact of original solutions.
- Developing a successful project
Capturing both “what” and “how” of successful mobility and energy solutions is vital for sustainability. While technology is often the focus of discussions, the workshop emphasised the importance of understanding and blueprinting the enabling factors and processes that contribute to successful projects.
Overall, this CLIMAWEBINAR provided valuable insights into the role of communities in implementing successful sustainable energy and mobility solutions.
By showcasing city experiences and initiatives, the webinar proved that cities need to get citizens on board to foster that behavioural change essential for transitioning to a more sustainable society.
The full report of this webinar is available, click HERE to visualise it.
Interested in discovering more topics? Take a look at our two other CLIMAWEBINARS! Find the one on “Climate Neutrality, City Contracts and Pilot Solutions” HERE and the one on “Connecting the dots of circularity” HERE.
There are more webinars to come, so sign up for the Climaborough newsletter to be kept informed!
