Co-creation Pathway for Urban Nature-Based Solutions: Testing a Shared-Governance Approach in Three Cities and Nine Action Labs

Nature-based solutions (NBS) implementation in urban contexts has proven outcoming multiple benefits to reverse the current trend of natural resources’ degradation adversely affecting biodiversity, human health, and wellbeing. Yet, the current urban-planning policy frameworks present a rigid structure to integrate NBS definitions, and their co-benefits to get mainstreamed and up scaled on a wider urban spatial dimension. In this research, we test a complete co-creation pathway that encourages decision-makers to embed citizen engagement methodologies as an approach to co-design and co-implement NBS in shared-governance processes aiming to increment the greening of urban spaces, towards more inclusive and climate resilient cities. On one hand, we assess a tendency to involve a multiplicity of stakeholders that collaborate to the establishment of an Urban Innovation Partnership (UIP) aiming at increasing the social awareness around NBS themes, and at the same time tackling both financial and governance aspects. On the other hand, the innovation embedded in NBS paves the way to combine a multi-scalar flexibility in implementation tools and place-based urban actions, hence resulting in widespread economic, environmental, and social impacts in place. The novelty in embedding the co-creation process in urban-planning practice lies in catalyzing resources towards the transposition of research into practice through policy and planning tools for local authorities and decision-makers. Three front-runner cities (Hamburg, London, and Milan) are under investigation as part of Clever Cities—a Horizon 2020 project—aiming at implementing NBS in diverse urban-regeneration processes, through nine up-running Urban Living Labs (ULLs). Grounded on a comparative analysis of these three cities, key characterization for NBS implementation framework could be categorized into: (1) current urban-planning greening strategies in each context, (2) specific environmental and societal challenges addressed, (3) different typologies and scales of NBS integration within urban morphologies, (4) specific governance process as response to co-design and co-implementation processes, and (5) availability of financial investment and main stakeholders. As research results, we emphasize using co-creation approach in urban planning to embed and upscale NBS in an inclusive shared-governance process, hence contributing to social awareness and acceptance. Meanwhile, spatial, and financial challenges could be majorly resolved using a multi-scalar approach to manage newly embedded urban-greening policies at the urban level. Lastly, the implementation scale of NBS with local communities requires a radical paradigmatic shift in societal, individual and administrative urban-planning practices.

Energy System Models for City Climate Mitigation Plans—Challenges and Recommendations

Many cities around the world have adopted climate neutrality targets, and, to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they need climate action plans. Energy system optimization models (ESOMs) can be used as tools to support their energy transitions. ESOMs have been in use at the national level for several years and also have recently been used at the city level. Even though several researchers have focused on how city ESOMs can be developed, the literature lacks a discussion of the challenges that are faced in data collection during model development. In this paper, we share the challenges encountered in the model development, as well as in the scenario development and recommend practical solutions for overcoming these challenges. The following three challenges were identified and discussed in the model development process: (a) data availability and quality; (b) communication; and (c) knowledge and background of civil servants and researchers. The main challenges in the scenario development were: (a) parameter selection and (b) complexity. It was found that explanation of the terminology used in ESOMs, presentation of the model structure and preliminary base-year results were crucial actions for overcoming challenges during model development. During the scenario development, collaboration between modelers and civil servants when reviewing parameter combinations and working with preliminary scenario results were decisive strategies for improving the civil servants’ understanding of ESOMs. Complementarily, it was found that continuous communication between the researcher and the civil servant and good comprehension of the model on the municipality's side helped improve the usefulness of ESOMs in cities’ energy transitions.

Snap4City Platform to Speed Up Policies

In the development of smart cities, there is a great emphasis on setting up so-called Smart City Control Rooms, SCCR. This paper presents Snap4City as a big data smart city platform to support the city decision makers by means of SCCR dashboards and tools reporting in real time the status of several of a city’s aspects. The solution has been adopted in European cities such as Antwerp, Florence, Lonato del Garda, Pisa, Santiago, etc., and it is capable of covering extended geographical areas around the cities themselves: Belgium, Finland, Tuscany, Sardinia, etc. In this paper, a major use case is analyzed describing the workflow followed, the methodologies adopted and the SCCR as the starting point to reproduce the same results in other smart cities, industries, research centers, etc. A Living Lab working modality is promoted and organized to enhance the collaboration among municipalities and public administration, stakeholders, research centers and the citizens themselves. The Snap4City platform has been realized respecting the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and it is capable of processing every day a multitude of periodic and real-time data coming from different providers and data sources. It is therefore able to semantically aggregate the data, in compliance with the Km4City multi-ontology and manage data: (i) having different access policies; and (ii) coming from traditional sources such as Open Data Portals, Web services, APIs and IoT/IoE networks. The aggregated data are the starting point for the services offered not only to the citizens but also to the public administrations and public-security service managers, enabling them to view a set of city dashboards ad hoc composed on their needs, for example, enabling them to modify and monitor public transportation strategies, offering the public services actually needed by citizens and tourists, monitor the air quality and traffic status to establish, if impose or not, traffic restrictions, etc. All the data and the new knowledge produced by the data analytics of the Snap4City platform can also be accessed, observing the permissions on each kind of data, thanks to the presence of an APIs complex system.

A Possible Circular Approach for Social Perception of Climate Adaptation Action Planning in Metropolitan Cities

One of the factors that will affect the livability of cities and the overall citizens’ quality of life in the future is certainly climate change. Urban areas will play a fundamental role in the commitment against climate change and will have to develop appropriate adaptation actions, in accordance with the European Strategy against climate change, including the planning and implementation of Green Infrastructures (GIs). They produce various environmental and social benefits in the urban context. Various studies have shown that citizenship involvement at all levels is necessary for the evaluation of the sharing of the proposed projects. The research proposes an innovative methodological model to support administrations in the strategic planning choice of GIs according to a shared and circular approach. To perform a multi-layer assessment, the multi-criteria evaluation will be combined with the circular evaluation model called Green City Circle. The evaluation is set up as a circular process, followed by a first investigative phase, followed by a proactive phase of solutions and an implementation phase up to a final stage of evaluation of the results and strategies for long-term sustainability. The study was carried out in the city of Catania to test a planning and management tool for GIs envisaged by the administration as win–win climate adaptation measures.

A Spatial Multi-criteria Decision Support System for Stress Recovery-Oriented Forest Management

A solution to cope with chaotic urban settlements and frenetic everyday life is refuging in nature as a way to reduce stress. In general—in recent years—it has been scientifically demonstrated how natural areas are an important environment for psycho-physiological health. As a consequence, it is important to plan dedicated spaces for stress recovery in order to increase the well-being of people. With respect to forests, there is a growing interest in understanding the marketing and tourist potential of forest-therapy activities and policies. This paper develops a decision support system (DSS) for decision makers, based on geographic information system to define the suitability of forest areas to improve psychological and physiological human well-being. Innovative technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) and virtual reality (VR) are applied to test human status. The DSS combines four sets of indicators in a multi-attribute decision analysis and identifies the areas with the largest stress-recovery potential. Two multi-attribute model—one in summer and one in winter—are elaborated to obtain a dynamic evaluation of suitability. Results show significant differences among forest type, forest management, altitude range, and season in terms of stand suitability. EEG and VR seem to be promising technologies in this research area. Strengths and weaknesses of the approach, as well as potential future improvement and implications for territorial marketing, are suggested.

Deep Energy Retrofit of Residential Buildings in the Mediterranean Area: The MedZEB Approach

Mediterranean deep retrofit markets are characterized by common barriers and bottlenecks, which barely have been identified as shared challenges, and this has led to a lack of dedicated solutions and to a substantial delay in achieving the 2020 EU policy targets. This situation is addressed by the H2020 HAPPEN project by proposing a new MedZEB approach characterized by the following features: Holistic, i.e., aimed at integrating the most relevant aspects of the retrofitting supply chain; Transparent, i.e., aimed at putting on the market novel tools for enhancing investors’ trust; Adaptive, i.e., aimed at enhancing “added values” of the retrofitting such as flexibility, well-being, etc. Having arrived at its midpoint, HAPPEN has produced an advanced version of its main outputs, among which are: the HAPPEN cost-optimal technical solutions, developed according to a step-by-step logic; the HAPPEN financial solution, fully integrated with the step-by-step logic, and aimed at funding the retrofitting process by relying on the energy savings achieved; the MedZEB protocol conceived as a guarantee scheme for the achievement of retrofit targets; the HAPPEN platform, an assisted digital marketplace aimed at matching demand and offer according to a one-stop-shop logic, at defragmenting the retrofit value chain, and at supporting actors with dedicated tools. These outputs have been developed also thanks to an extensive living laboratory and pilot-building program, carried out within ten pilot sites across seven EU Med countries; this has made it possible for a large engagement of potential users, which resulted in the ideation of the HAPPEN program, an overall framework aimed at integrating project outputs into an exploitable renovation procedure powered by the HAPPEN platform. This paper describes the first simulation of such a procedure in its entirety based on a real case study. After characterizing the building according to the HAPPEN reference buildings and climates lists, a step-by-step cost-optimal package of solutions was calculated, followed by the application of the HAPPEN financial solution, and by the draft issue of the MedZEB protocol. Results provide the first evidence of the effectiveness of the MedZEB approach in potentially unlocking the deep retrofit market in the Med area, with special attention to the possibility of funding the interventions by relying on the economies generated by the energy savings achieved. Further, the project activities will be aimed at co-creating, together with relevant stakeholders, a go-to-market strategy for the HAPPEN program.

SUMPs Implementation: Designation of Capacity Gaps of Local Authorities in the Delivery of Sustainable Mobility Projects

There are numerous initiatives at the European level that are aimed at increasing the capacity of cities with regard to sustainable mobility planning by developing guidelines and various forms of training materials. An important prerequisite for systematic capacity building is to understand what capacity actually means in the context of mobility planning and which concrete factors influence the ability to shape and deliver sustainable mobility solutions. In the SUITS EU project, a tool for capacity assessment was developed and tested with six participant cities. Through interviews and workshops with mobility stakeholders in the participating cities, 15 challenges that the cities face while planning and implementing mobility plans were identified and led to the design of a set of 54 indicators that assess the capacity of an authority to develop and implement a mobility plan. The presented methodology enables authorities to self-assess their performance and capacity and identify the sources of the problems they face and that are impeding their effectiveness in developing and implementing mobility plans. The application in the six participating cities demonstrated that the evaluation tool here introduced is comprehensive, encompasses all the aspects of the environment in which a local authority (LA) operates and effectively highlights the areas where interventions are required so that the LAs can systematically increase their capacity.

City Engagement in the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe and the Role of Intermediary Organizations in R&I Policies for Urban Transition

This research investigates the case of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe and its role as an intermediary organization, developing research, and innovation programs for urban transition. In the literature, the role of an intermediary organization has recently been discussed as an effective promoter and developer of connecting visions, strategies, activities, and stakeholders. A conceptual approach to intermediary organizations for urban transition is operationalized, and its functions are discussed in this paper. As an example, the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe reveals how a transnational R&I initiative, represented by 20 national R&I programs in Europe, can provide scientific evidence for sustainable urbanization with a cross-sectoral, integrated, inter- and transdisciplinary approach implemented through activities beyond joint calls. The findings show that JPI Urban Europe acts as broker and facilitator of joint visions and starts to build communities for innovation, which is one of the important functions of intermediaries. The development of its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda clearly followed a co-creation process, putting the dilemmas of city practitioners in the center. JPI Urban Europe managed to attract high levels of commitment from a diversity of stakeholders to its strategic priorities and mobilized respective budgets for its implementation. The analysis of JPI Urban Europe participation in funded projects shows that challenge-driven calls (putting the problem owners in the center) seems to successfully develop a common language for all stakeholders and has a higher likelihood to generate more transformative outcomes. The number of funded urban living labs in projects shows that room for experimentation in niches and their extension is provided. The number of city representatives as funded project partners could be increased to further stimulate active involvement. The JPI Urban Europe also acts as a translator and enabler for learning in the urban—as well as in the policy sphere—the third function. This can be confirmed by the number and type of organizations reached with its specific formats. JPI Urban Europe coordinates joint activities of mainly national R&I programs but has only indirect influence on change in these organizations and limited influence on changes within research organizations, businesses, or cities that are even less connected. Overall, it can be concluded that the strategic ambition of JPI Urban Europe towards transformative change is obvious, but some instruments and formats to translate the ambition into action need further refinement, and it needs further in-depth research to better understand the outcomes and impacts of its diverse activities.

Diagnosis of the State of the Territory in Flanders. Reporting About New Maps and Indicators Differentiating Between Urban and Rural Areas Within Flanders

Within the several European analyses of spatial patterns, Belgium and Flanders take a specific position. The average ‘settlement area percentage’ (i.e., all land used beyond agriculture, semi-natural areas, forestry, and water bodies) for Europe is 4%, but 32% of the Flemish area is occupied with artificial land. Belgium has the highest score for urban-sprawl indicators, and within the European context, almost the entire area is considered urban. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to expand on the theme of indicators for spatial patterns by analyzing the Flemish area with detailed data across various scales. The results are collected in a report, the ‘Ruimterapport’— ‘RURA’, published in 2018. RURA is a bundling and compilation of research results from very diverse sources, amongst others studies from the Department of Environment and Spatial Development of Flanders and of Espon studies. This article presents the most important results from RURA and further positions them in international comparative literature. New maps and indicators are developed for the urban/peri-urban/rural dimensions of the human settlement area, urban sprawl, and settlement patterns by differentiating amongst others between urban centers, ribbon development, and scattered buildings. The paper gives a quantitative, methodological, and empirical contribution to the field of urban and regional development processes and contributes to conceptualizations of space. The case of Flanders, with its specific sprawl pattern, illustrates the difficulties spatial planning policy makers currently are facing, dealing with the complexity of space and society.

Innovative Approaches to Energy Governance: Preliminary Quantitative Insights from the Literature

With a significantly changing global climate and related impacts on our societies becoming increasingly visible, the call for a significant change of the energy production and consumption system gets increasing attention. Defined as energy transition, such change involves at least two dimensions: one technological and one social. Especially the latter is gaining importance because it is argued that the impact of technological innovation could be limited, if not harmful, if the technological would not be matched with social innovation. This refers to the emergence of decentralized energy systems at the local scale, and the increased involvement of non-state actors in shaping the transition, like civil society, business, and local public authorities. It includes new forms of governance, ranging from energy communities to the design of urban living labs. This work aims to provide the first insights for the further development of a theoretical framework in relation to governance and social innovation in the context of energy transition. It builds on a bibliometric quantitative analysis to explore the extent to which changes in energy governance are reflected in the scientific literature. Results indicate that energy governance issues have quite settled in the scientific literature across the world, but that social innovation is only a recently emerging topic. A snapshot interpretive analysis is then performed to get a better understanding of what types of energy governance and social innovations are addressed. These mostly refer to energy communities and organization types related to the use of renewable energies (e.g., cooperatives and public–private partnerships), as well as obstacles and opportunities that drive their implementation. A keyword analysis is used to get the first indications on the direction of the discussion. Generally, this seems rather heterogeneous, though most often it is related to urban development and cities, as well as in relation to the planning practice. Future research should extend and carry out further in-depth analysis of the preliminary insights outlined in this work.