Parma

Italy

Mission city Pilot city
Italy National Platform
Parma Mission City Label
Population 200k
City Area 65.2 km²
City active since June 2022

The City of Parma embraced the ambitious challenge of the European Mission of the 100 climate neutral and smart cities by 2030 as the natural evolution of the growing commitment and figures of initiatives and investments aimed at sustainability and the reduction of emissions of the Municipality of Parma and its community of citizens, and social, economic and research organizations.

 

Parma sees the effects of climate change, and feels the urgency to act: there is a clear and unique vision that the whole territory needs to pay more and more attention on the importance and urgency of adopting policies, actions, investments and behaviors, both individual and collective, aimed at greater respect for the environment and a reduction of emissions. Parma is based in the Po Valley, featuring an intense human activity that contributes to the high concentration of polluting sources.

 

The joining of the Covenant of Mayors in 2013 and the implementation of SEAP 2014 was a key turning point for Parma in applying the green principles to the entire governance action. Since then, Parma decided to start a series of wide-ranging measures and actions, actively involving civil society and businesses, which led ten years later to join the Mission in order to intercept the efforts of an entire territory already devoted to green and sustainability, creating a solid foundation to achieve the radical transformation we need in the next seven years.

Key Learnings

Governance Innovation and Implementation in the Cities Mission: Anticipatory Governance in City Climate Planning and Policy

This report examines how four European Mission cities Umeå, Tampere, Valencia, and Parma are integrating anticipatory governance approaches into their climate planning to better navigate uncertainties while pursuing climate neutrality. As participants in both the EU Climate- Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the Adaptation Mission, these cities are developing innovative strategies to enhance resilience and adaptability in their climate transition work. Anticipatory governance encompasses forward-looking approaches that help cities prepare for multiple possible futures rather than simply reacting to events as they occur. The report highlights three key components of anticipatory governance that cities are implementing to varying degrees: Strategic foresight and scenario planning: Developing plausible future scenarios to test the robustness of climate strategies under different conditions. Risk and vulnerability assessment: Identifying and evaluating potential hazards and vulnerabilities, and assessing how planned climate actions might be affected by future disruptions. Adaptive management: Establishing flexible governance structures with monitoring systems, trigger points, and contingency plans that allow for course corrections as conditions change. The comparative analysis reveals that while all four cities have developed comprehensive frameworks to guide their climate action, they are at different stages of maturity in implementing anticipatory governance practices. All cities have conducted risk and barriers assessments as part of their Climate City Contract (CCC) development, primarily focusing on economic, financial, and social risks. However, more complex risks such as geopolitical disruptions or systemic cascading effects are not yet fully integrated into planning processes. Key findings include: Scenario-based approaches are embedded in all cities' climate planning, though with varying degrees of sophistication and application. While monitoring processes are well-developed across all cities, formal adaptive management practices are not yet common. All cities face similar challenges: limited human and financial resources, data gaps and reliability issues, communication difficulties, and institutional fragmentation. Cities are increasingly recognizing the value of integrating forward-looking approaches (more traditionally associated with climate adaptation) into mitigation planning to build more resilient transition pathways. The report identifies several opportunities for enhancing anticipatory governance: Establishing more robust adaptive governance structures with clear review mechanisms and trigger points Developing methods to identify "no-regret" climate mitigation actions that remain viable across multiple future scenarios Implementing diverse and complementary solutions rather than relying on singular strategies Strengthening cooperation across cities and multi-level governance to share knowledge and expertise

City Best Practices - Session Videos

The Cities Best Practice Series is aimed at learning from the best practices across Mission Cities. These monthly online sessions provide a platform to learn from the best on-the-ground experiences, fostering a discussion about key challenges, leaving space for questions, reflections and comparisons.   Best Practices #1 - Mobilising citizens and stakeholders for action Link to video Cities: Parma, Italy (8:03)  Guimaraes, Portugal (18:40)  Lyon, France (30:22)  Bristol (40:40)    Best Practices #2 - Urban Mobility and Transport Innovative Solutions Link to video Cities: Bordeaux, France (2:15)  Florence, Italy (12:22)  Differdange, Luxembourg (25:28)    Best Practices #3 - Energetic Renovation Link to video Cities: Barcelona, Spain (0:05)  Milan, Italy (11:30)  Brussels, Belgium (28:22)    Best Practices #4 - Learnings from the CCC process as governance innovation tool Link to video Cities: Turku, Finland (2:22)  Ioannina, Greece (39:55)     
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Latest updates from the city

Pilot project spotlight
Visit Parma City Website Read Parma Climate City Contract

External projects

City involvement in related European initiatives