Knowledge Repository

Industry is the second-largest global resource of energy sector CO2 emissions. In Europe the total final energy demand in the industry accounted for 2950 TWh/yr in 2020, 66% of which came from process heating. The main fuel source for fulfilling this demand is gas (36%), followed by coal (20%) and oil (8%). In Europe, EU paper production plants ...

There are plenty of rational arguments for implementing heat networks, as Heat Networks offer numerous advantages and opportunities. They are an efficient, reliable, and proven solution for increasing energy security while reducing the carbon footprint of heat. They are convenient and affordable for customers, yet profitable for owners. They ...

Method Description for Ethnographic Interviewing

The Healthy Cities Generator is a freely available digital tool that makes it easy for urban planners, health professionals and policy makers to incorporate health factors into urban planning and urban factors into health policy. Want to explore the healthiest options for your city? If you want to improve your urban plan, devise a health ...

Ethnographic interviews are a method used to understand deeply the actions and motivations of people behind a theme or topic of research. This process relies on a close connection between the researcher and the community they are working in. In creating connections the researcher is able to get a more rich understanding of how the community ...

Cooling trees are appropriate at different scales: the isolated tree: in a park, a street or in a square; rows of trees along a street: on either side of a street, on one side of a street or in a central row; and at the scale of a city: forming what is called an urban forest. In terms of mitigation, trees contribute to carbon sequestration ...

Crowdfunding is a type of crowd investing that collects funding from a “crowd” of retail investors, usually via an online platform. Unlike crowd-donation, crowdfunding or -investing collects funds from retail investors who can expect a return on their investment. Hence, it is a type of loan product, where interest needs to be paid. ...

A comprehensive resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate systemic change. Includes many canvases and practical tools.

E-participation [1][2][3][4][5] enables citizens to use digital technologies or platforms, e.g., combination of geographic information systems (GIS), Web 2.0 and mobile technologies (including video, mobile messaging and Internet access), for communication, engagement and deliberation on policy or planning ...

The problems we face today, such as climate change, inequality and ageing populations cannot be fixed by one department alone. They require a systems approach. This is a game for policymakers to explore how taking a systemic approach can unlock intractable issues in their policy areas. Playing “Systemic” will enable you to: ...

A concessional loan or 'soft' loan is credit offered to municipalities at a below market rate of interest. Concessional loans could have lenient conditions, offer differed payments, grace periods, interest holidays or income contingent payments. They could also offer longer amortisation schedules than conventional ...

Positive Energy Buildings, PEB, is a relatively new and more ambitious energy target than the Nearly Zero Energy buildings, NZEB. Currently, there is no official definition at EU level. However, there are several projects investigating the PEB concept. According to the EU EXCESS project (1,2), ‘‘a positive energy building (PEB) is an ...

The two pillars of the decarbonisation of the buildings sector in Europe are a) improving energy efficiency and b) supplying with renewable energy sources both new and existing buildings. Recent developments show that energy developments at the neighbourhood or district scale can accelerate and improve the required quality to meet the ...

Alternative cooling strategies based on improved thermal protection of the building envelope, and on the dissipation of a building's thermal load to a lower temperature heat sink, appear to be very effective.   These strategies and techniques known as passive and hybrid cooling have already reached a serious level of acceptance ...

The use of passive cooling technologies in the built environment has reached a stage of high maturity. Passive cooling techniques are based on the use of techniques of solar and heat control, heat modulation and heat dissipation. While heat modulation deals mainly with the thermal storage capacity of the building structure, heat dissipation ...

The heat island phenomenon rises the temperature of cities, increases the energy demand for cooling and deteriorates comfort conditions in the urban environment. To counterbalance the impact of the phenomenon, important mitigation techniques have been proposed and developed.     It is widely accepted that an increase of the ...

The heat island phenomenon raises the temperature of cities, increases the energy demand for cooling and deteriorates comfort conditions in the urban environment. To counterbalance the impact of the phenomenon, important mitigation techniques have been proposed and developed. Absorption of solar radiation by the materials of the building envelope ...

The heat island phenomenon rises the temperature of cities, increases the energy demand for cooling and deteriorates comfort conditions in the urban environment. To counterbalance the impact of the phenomenon, important mitigation techniques have been proposed and developed.      The use of water in reducing ambient ...

The design and operation of zero or very low energy buildings started in the 2000s and even earlier. The basic idea is to use energy conservation technologies combined with renewable energy systems to decrease as much as possible the energy use of buildings (see Figure 1). Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) have continuously gained acceptance ...

NetZeroCities is designing the Mission Cities Capital Hub to support the development and execution of city projects. The implementation of Investment Plans will require a holistic approach covering technical assistance, impact alignment and capital facilitation as well as private sector engagement. The Capital Hub is planned to be a city resource ...

Start learning about Positive Energy Distrcits via a short e-learning module In the Smart City Lighthouse project ATELIER (H2020, Grant Agreement No. 864374), a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) was developed to provide an engaging e-learning opportunity for everyone who wants to learn about Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). It is hosted on a ...

This guide walks through the principles of portfolio co-design, providing framing which can be reused in meetings or workshops with stakeholders to justify why portfolio co-design is important and how it can happen. We provide key intuitive metaphors to support a good understanding of what a portfolio is and isn't (the 3D cube) as well as ...

This exercise is focusing on evaluating the potential of a portfolio of actions for climate-neutrality with local stakeholders (whether from the local government or from the broader local ecosystem). This session is particularly adapted to build participants' understanding of what is a portfolio and, especially, what is a successful portfolio, ...

Please find the video recording here. This session is organised to present and answer any questions regarding the two important parts of the Pilot Cities Programme: Boot Camp, which starts right after the selection of successful applications. Cities Learning Programme, which will match selected Pilot Cities with their Twinning Cities.

This session is organised to present and answer any questions regarding the two important parts of the Pilot Cities Programme: Boot Camp, which starts right after the selection of successful applications. Cities Learning Programme, which will match selected Pilot Cities with their Twinning Cities. Please find the presentation slides, here.

In just one hour, you’ll learn about carbon management, how to identify measures and actions and how to implement them. More importantly: Serge (CEO of Futureproofed and one of Al Gore’s two first European Climate Ambassadors) will share his experiences on transforming cities into climate-neutral cities. Your host, Serge de Gheldere, ...

Please find the accompanying recording, here. This session hosts Pilot Cities selected during the 1st Pilot Cities Programme call. They share their projects, experiences and challenges during planning and implementing the Pilot Activities. Find Guimarães City's presentation, here. Find Bristol City's ...

Please find Bristol City's presentation slides from the Pilot Cities Programme Info Session 4: Inspirational Session with existing Pilot Cities. Please find the accompanying recording, here. This session hosts Pilot Cities selected during the 1st Pilot Cities Programme call. They share their projects, experiences and challenges during planning ...

Please find Bristol City's presentation slides from the Pilot Cities Programme Info Session 4: Inspirational Session with existing Pilot Cities. Please find the accompanying recording, here. This session hosts Pilot Cities selected during the 1st Pilot Cities Programme call. They share their projects, experiences and challenges during planning ...

Please find Bristol City's presentation slides from the Pilot Cities Programme Info Session 4: Inspirational Session with existing Pilot Cities. Please find the accompanying recording, here. This session hosts Pilot Cities selected during the 1st Pilot Cities Programme call. They share their projects, experiences and challenges during planning ...

Pilot Cities Programme Info session: Inspirational session with existing Pilot Cities - 26 September This session hosts Pilot Cities selected during the 1st Pilot Cities Programme call. They share their projects, experiences and challenges during planning and implementing the Pilot Activities.

The policy framework provides an overview of the EU level policies that are most relevant to achieving climate neutrality in cities by 2030.   The policy framework provides an overview of both regulatory and policy/strategy documents issued at EU level. It includes regulations which are currently in effect, as well as those which have ...

The CCRI Methodology provides decision-makers with actionable guidance to help accelerate the transition towards the circular economy at local or regional level. The CCRI Methodology takes stock and draws on past and current efforts and initiatives aimed at deploying the circular economy at local level. Developed in the framework of the Circular ...

Recording: NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme Info Session: Eligibility, Submission Criteria - 14 September This session is organised to answer the following questions: - who can apply to this edition of Pilot Cities Programme Call? - against what criteria will the proposals be assessed? - how to submit a project application? Part of the session ...

Presentation Slides: NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme Info Session: Eligibility, Submission Criteria - 14 September This session is organised to answer the following questions: - who can apply to this edition of Pilot Cities Programme Call? - against what criteria will the proposals be assessed? - how to submit a project application? Part ...

Mapping civic environments is the first step to visualize various individuals, groups and organizations, their roles, relationships, influence and impact on the city’s climate neutrality transition journey. It is by this process, that cities are able to make informed decisions on whom to engage in a strategic manner. To enable cities in ...

The customer journey map is a representation describing each step of the interaction that a user or customer has with a service, product, organization or system taking the perspective of the user. It is stated what the actions, the touchpoints with the service, product or system and the emotional state of the user for each of the steps. It can ...

The main goal of the project was to implement a complete solution for a smart and sustainable urban environment, which would inspire residents to make environmentally conscious decisions and would later be implemented in various European regions.

The purpose of Nappi Naapur is to increase real encounters between people who live close to each other. It is intended for neighborly help, getting to know each other, gig work and promoting the sharing economy. Everyone is welcome to become a user!

Viable Cities is a Swedish strategic innovation programme focusing on the transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities. Viable Cities aims to create transformative system change based on the mission Climate Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for everyone within the planetary boundaries. The mission means that cities' climate transition ...

Brainport Smart District (BSD) is a smart city district in the city of Helmond, the Netherlands

Better Reykjavik is an online platform for the crowdsourcing of solutions to urban challenges launched in May 2010. Better Reykjavik is a co-creation project of the Citizens Foundation, Reykjavik City and its citizens that connects them and improves trust and policy. It’s a platform for crowdsourcing solutions to urban challenges and has ...

Case Study on streets converting into seasonal socialising spaces 

Pilot Cities Programme Info Session: Ambition, approach and technical information – call launch (7th September) This session is organised to present the overall Pilot Cities Programme Call, focusing especially on: - Its unique ambition and approach - Technical information regarding call's documentation, timeline - Call and grant management ...

Pilot Cities Programme Info Session: Ambition, approach and technical information – call launch (7th September) This session is organised to present the overall Pilot Cities Programme Call, focusing especially on: - Its unique ambition and approach - Technical information regarding call's documentation, timeline - Call and grant management ...

CCC Submission Information Session - 4th September 2023 This session is intended for cities planning to submit their CCC in autumn 2023. On 6 September, a dedicated space will open on the Portal for cities to upload their CCC Documents prior submission to the European Commission. Cities planning to submit their CCC in this window will have until ...

Outcome harvesting is a method to identify, formulate then analyse and interpret the outcomes (positive and negative, intended or not) of an initiative. The process is stakeholder-centered and includes 6 steps that are helpful to collect evidence of what has changed for project stakeholders or beneficiaries and work backwards to evaluate whether ...

By utilizing an experimental design, such as A/B testing, users (i.e., citizens) are randomly exposed to different options, then results are compared. The aim is testing which solution is best. For example, when utilizing a service, half of the users are provided one version of the service (intervention A), while the other half of the participants ...

TACSI strives to enhance social and economic well-being through their approach to accelerate social innovations. The organization has conducted experiments in the field of human-centered innovation, driven by the belief that individuals are the best experts on their own lives. By collaborating with those affected by the challenges they aim to ...

In this article by Moore, Riddell and Vocisano, it is argued that the process of scaling social innovations to achieve systemic impacts involves three different types of scaling—scaling out, scaling up, and scaling deep—and large systems change (LSC) is likely to require a combination of these types. The findings focus on the ...

Social Innovation Canada is a network that aims to fortify the innovation ecosystem by providing an operational model that offers information, tools, skills, and a network for developing social innovations. By utilizing this model, practitioners can collaborate effectively, build stronger connections, align their efforts, enhance their capacity, ...

Real Junk Food Berlin is part of the international organization The Junk Food Project that aims to raise awareness around the topic of food waste and new sustainable food systems. Their activities include the use of food that would otherwise go to waste and the conduction of workshops and courses sharing ways to avoid food waste.

Ride sharing service initiated by local football club PPJ started from an agile pilot and became a permanent activity in the club. After school, school children get transported from school to football training on a minibus. This saves time and reduces the number of total trips otherwise taken by each individual child driven by their [parent]. ...

Play!UC is an initiative that developed a series of serious games and following participatory processes to raise awareness and deal with the individual carbon footprint of young adults. The term ‘serious games’ can describe all kinds of physical or digital games that are developed and played not only for entertainment, but have a ...

15-Minute City is an urban plan established by the city of Paris whose goal is to make most daily necessities accomplishable by either walking or cycling from residents' homes in a maximum of 15 minutes.

The Green Squares project aims to support the local communities in climate action by piloting a model for joint engagement of residents, students, local artists and civil society in a collaborative process of co-designing solutions for neglected urban pockets in line with particular needs of local communities. The goal of the project is for ...

EVA is a bottom-up initiative that promotes plant-based diets through cooking workshops & awareness. EVA believes that, on average, plant-based products have the greatest overall positive impact on the well-being of people, animals and the planet. Working on a larger scale with restaurants, hospitals and schools through guidance at ...

In the aftermath of Chernobyl, a handful of committed citizens decided to become active together in their community in the Black Forest and create a nuclear- and coal-free energy supply belonging to citizens. Today the EWS supplies people throughout Germany with green power and eco-gas and works in various ways towards bringing about the energy ...

El Día Después (EDD) is a multi-stakeholder platform for networks to address the sustainable development goals, specifically SDG 17. There are four communities within this project: environment & health, cooperation & global governance, city transformation, and inequality & new economic model. Within these groups are ...

The goal is to create a residential quarter that prevents the necessity to travel more than 15 minutes to get the most essential goods and services, and therefore reduces the amount of carbon emissions related to transport – the key to averting the so-called heat-island effect. An important aspect of the implementation will be the ...

Five cities from across South-Eastern European and Central Asian region embarked on an exploration of a new approach to problem solving, which is rooted in systems thinking. The city councils began designing what are called systems thinking portfolios for urban transformation with the support of UNDP Europe and Central Asia.

Applause is a project led by the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia aiming to find solutions to invasive alien plant species (IAPS) in cities. Ljubljana is applying a zero-waste and circular economy principle to deal with these harmful plant species. Ljubljana is moving from a linear model for managing IAPS to a circular one that is valuable for the ...

Finnish cities have been experimenting with a vision of sustainable living. The tool “1.5 Degree Lifestyles Puzzle” was used to help households and other stakeholders understand what changes they need to make in their lifestyles to significantly drop their carbon footprint. Individual carbon footprints were calculated at the project start and ...

Terre & Humanisme promotes agroecology as an approach in transitioning towards more sustainable farming practices while training people in its application. The association aims to change production models to achieve higher combined economic, social and environmental production based on the founding principles of Agroecology. The association ...

Cities Presentations of Best Practice

Levers of a Sustainable City is a scaling model to accelerate the adoption of good sustainable practices in municipalities. It aims at turning means that have proven to work well into concrete action. The model consists of several interconnected methods and of a typology of scaling activities. The model emphasises the importance of learning from ...

The framework describes four stages in developing a scaling strategy: clarifying aims and goals for scaling, establishing what to scale up, choosing a route to scale, gearing up to deliver a scaling strategy. The writers identify four common routes for scaling-up: influence and advise; build a delivery network; form strategic partnerships and grow ...

Academic studies show that the journey from social to institutional entrepreneurship takes different configurations, depending on the initial conditions of the innovative initiatives and obstacles encountered during implementation. Therefore, five different pathways for scaling up social innovation initiatives were developed, consisting of ...

The case outlines a new theoretical–methodological approach for the mapping and analysis of the social innovation ecosystems (SIE) in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. The study was put into practice through the creation and implementation of a collaborative digital platform.

Guidance on target setting and emissions inventories for the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission

Review Procedure of Climate City Contracts and Award of the Mission Label Draft version pending approval of the Amendment of the Horizon Europe 2023 Mission Work Programme

In the face of pressing environmental challenges, cities around the world are seeking innovative solutions to create a sustainable and livable future. From energy efficiency to waste management, transportation to urban planning, a multitude of strategies are being implemented to reduce our carbon footprint and promote a greener urban environment. ...

Futures Table is a method in a scenario process that offers a structured approach to analyse how different variables of a trend, development or change signal may develop in the future.

Method Description for Motivation Matrix

This session is intended for cities planning to submit their CCC in Spring 2023. On 6 March, a dedicated space will open on the Portal for cities to upload their CCC Documents prior submission to the European Commission. Cities planning to submit their CCC in Spring 2023 will have until 15 March to finalise the upload of their documents on the ...

This session is intended for cities planning to submit their CCC in Spring 2023. On 6 March, a dedicated space will open on the Portal for cities to upload their CCC Documents prior submission to the European Commission. Cities planning to submit their CCC in Spring 2023 will have until 15 March to finalise the upload of their documents on the ...

Civic Design Lab facilitates dialogues and co-creates solutions in collaboration with government agencies, local businesses and communities for improved public services by applying a racial equity lens, human-centred design and systems thinking approach. It helps local government decision making by designing current and future policies with the ...

Conclusions from Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Commission

Closing Plenary, moderated by Patrick Child, Deputy Director-General DGEnvironment | Cities Mission Manager, with the participation of Natalia Chueca, Mayor of Zaragoza, and Dovydas Kaminskas, Mayor of Tauragė.

Pilot Cities: In the Spotlight gives each of the selected Mission and non-Mission Pilot Cities the opportunity to present their pilot activities in a short, sharp, and pithy ‘pitch’. This session also introduces the Pilot Cities Programme’s learning and sense-making activities and launches the next Call for Pilot Cities under NetZeroCities.

This panel focused on the local and wider impacts of the Mission. Panellists discussed how cities, citizens, and businesses can get the most benefit out of the Mission and how to best address both challenges and co benefits.

One year after the selection of cities for the Cities Mission, local authorities and their partners are working hard on their Climate City Contracts, while facing new challenges including an acute energy crisis. This panel is a political exchange on how the Cities Mission has already impacted Mission cities and how its high ambition can hold up in ...

Day 2 of the Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023: - Cities as Frontrunners of the Climate Transition with Barbara Trachte, State Secretary for the Economic Transition and Scientific Research, Brussels Capital Government and Kim Jørgensen, Director General and Permanent Representative Office of the EIB to the EU ...

Day 2 of the Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023: - Keynote speech delivered by Marc Lemaître Director-General DGResearch and Innovation, European Commission

This session aims to focus on the urban climate action initiatives that require collective policy action. Mission Cities Copenhagen, Lisbon, Helsinki , Oslo, Paris, and Stockholm share local climate action initiatives that, to be effective, need policy coordination at the European level. Through a world café format, participants discuss policy ...

Day 1 of the Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023: - Peer-to-Peer City Exchanges, presented by Climate-Neutral City Advisor Jane McLaughlin provides participants with a space for sharing approaches, tools, and methodologies with fellow Mission Cities to overcome barriers you may be facing in the climate neutrality ...

Day 1 of the Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023: - Keynote Speech delivered by André Sobczak, Secretary General, Eurocities. - NetZeroCities Updates by Thomas Osdoba, Programme Director, EIT Climate-KIC as well as reflections on the Climate City Contract process and its evolution, and upcoming City Support for ...

This document includes a detailed review of the NZC Economic Model calculations and how they work to create an economic case analysis for cities. It also includes examples of how the model was used effectively in the EU Healthy Clean Cities initiative to help cities analyze costs and benefits as a foundation for the development of an effective ...

NetZeroCities Capability Building Module Investment Plan | Part C

NetZeroCities Capability Building Module Investment Plan | Part B

NetZeroCities Capability Building Module Investment Plan | Part A

The Circular Economy Life Cycle Cost (CE-LCC) model is an economic assessment model for the building sector. It is based on current Life Cycle Cost analysis, which calculates the total cost of a product from cradle to grave (such as sales price, use price, and disposal costs) to support decision-making processes during the development of ...

Greywater is the wastewater generated in households or office buildings without serious contaminants, such as water from baths, sinks and washing machines. Greywater can be separated from blackwater (water from toilets or kitchens) and then treated on-site for direct reuse in toilets recharge or irrigation. Greywater is a relevant secondary ...

A digital twin presents a digital replica of a real object or process or a system and uses data from the real environment to represent, analyse, validate and simulate present and future behaviour [11]. Typically, connecting real objects with its digital twin enables testing new scenarios or models in real time without interfering with the real ...

Currently, at the end of a building’s life the majority of its materials are sent to landfill or down-cycled into products of much lower value. To maximize the recovery and valorisation potential of existing materials in buildings and minimize waste in construction, optimal waste management at the end of life of buildings is essential. The ...

Heat Pumps (HP) are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. HP can be used to provide heating, cooling, or domestic hot water both for residential and non-residential applications. There are several types of HP (electric compression heat pumps, gas driven HP, heat driven ...

Heat Pumps (HP) are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. HP can provide heating, cooling, or domestic hot water both for residential and non-residential applications. There are several types of HP (electric compression heat pumps, gas driven HP, heat driven HP, etc.), ...

Solar thermal panels are devices that convert solar radiation into heat and transfer it to a heat transfer fluid (typically water or an anti-freeze fluid) to be stored or to reach the point of use. Solar thermal systems are usually implemented with a water storage tank, to reduce the production-demand fluctuations, ensure high operational safety ...

Solar thermal panels are devices that convert solar radiation into heat and transfer it to a heat transfer fluid (typically water or an anti-freeze fluid) to be stored or to reach the point of use. Source: Jafari S, Sohani A, Hoseinzadeh S, Pourfayaz F. The 3E Optimal Location Assessment of Flat-Plate Solar Collectors for Domestic Applications ...

The use of renewable energy sources to produce thermal energy is one of the key actions of the energy transition for reducing carbon emissions to the atmosphere. On-site generation of thermal energy from renewables can help local municipalities, cities and communities harness substantial environmental, economic and social benefits. The main ...

Building Integrated Solar Thermal (BIST) can be considered a typology of solar thermal collectors, which are directly integrated to the building and used to convert solar radiation into useful heat that can be used in different applications.     BIST typologies can be classified using different criteria, most commonly by the ...

Concrete is the most-used manufactured substance on the planet in terms of volume. It is used to build homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, roads, railways and ports, and to create infrastructure to provide clean water, sanitation and energy [1]. Concrete is manufactured by mixing cement, water, aggregates and small quantities of chemical ...

Passive building design means providing passive heating, passive cooling, and natural ventilation to maintain comfortable indoor conditions with no need for energy, by taking advantage of location (climate), orientation, massing, shading, material selection, thermal mass, insulation, internal layout and the positioning of openings to allow the ...

To decrease the heat gains of buildings, reflective or cool materials can be applied on the roof or the facades of buildings (1-3). Reflective materials are characterized by high solar reflectance (SR) combined with a high thermal emittance value (4).     Numerous reflective white or light-colored materials are currently ...

Photovoltaic (PV) systems represent the most used technology to convert solar radiation into electricity. A PV module is a grid of cells of semiconductor material, which is able to convert sunlight (photons) to electricity (voltage potential). The electricity from a module is generated in the form of direct current (DC), hence an inverter is ...

Photovoltaic (PV) systems represent the most used technology to convert solar radiation into electricity. A PV module is a grid of cells of semiconductor material, which is able to convert sunlight (photons) to electricity (voltage potential). Most typically, PV panels are installed on roofs or on the ground. Nevertheless, a promising application ...

Circular design of textiles involves designing textiles in ways that make them last longer, create less waste during their entire life-cycle, are made from non-toxic material and can be recycled (2).  The development and take-up of such solutions can benefit from the use of co-creation approaches in urban environment involving multiple ...

Water scarcity is a concern not only due to a changing climate and a rise in demand, but also due to non-accountable losses within water distribution networks. In some parts of the EU, up to 80 % of water pumped into distribution systems is lost [Life SmartWater]. Leakages in large diameter main pipelines represent the highest share of the total ...

Ocean contains a vast renewable energy potential, which could support sustainable long-term development and can be a crucial component in the world’s emerging blue economy. Ocean energy technologies are utilizing different resources. They can provide both reliable and stable electricity, as well as support other components of the blue ...

Mechanical energy storage (or electromechanical energy storage) systems are devices which convert electrical energy into kinetic or potential energy which can be reconverted into electricity at a later stage. Mechanical energy storage systems can be used in the grid to balance peak periods and to provide ancillary services including frequency, ...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can store heat or cold to be used later under varying conditions such as temperature, place, time, or power. The main use of TES is to overcome the mismatch between energy generation and energy use [1]. The main requirements for the design of a TES system are high energy density in the storage material ...

Solar thermal collectors are devices that convert solar energy into thermal energy available in a working fluid, which can be used to cover the heating loads or can be converted into electricity. Nowadays, there are many typologies of solar thermal collectors, which can be classified in many different ways. Nevertheless, solar thermal collectors ...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can store heat or cold to be used later under varying conditions such as temperature, place, time, or power. The main use of TES is to overcome the mismatch between energy generation and energy use [1]. The main requirements for the design of a TES system are high energy density in the storage material (storage ...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can stock heat or cold to be used at a later time under varying conditions such as temperature, place, time, or power. The main use of TES is to overcome the mismatch between energy generation and energy use [1]. The key requirements for the design of a TES system are high energy density in the storage ...

Currently, the construction sector is mostly following linear economy principles – consuming non-renewable virgin materials, producing landfill waste, and producing an overall negative environmental impact. The construction industry is the biggest global consumer of resources and raw materials, consuming e.g., roughly 50% of the total steel ...

The use of renewable energy sources to produce electricity is one of the key actions of the energy transition for reducing carbon emissions to the atmosphere. On-site generation of electricity from renewables can help local municipalities, cities and communities to have substantial environmental, economic and social benefits. Indeed, generating ...

Urbanisation and industrialisation have led to reduced vegetative cover and decreased water storage in the subsurface, as well as the concentration and accumulation of surface runoff in sewage systems due to reduced infiltration into the soil [1] [2] [5]. Until now, no universally applicable urban flood management solution has been developed. ...

In order to accelerate their transition to climate neutrality, cities need to cooperate with their full local ecosystem of actors - including citizens, civic groups and stakeholders from the private and public sector – who need to be positively engaged in the challenge as a broad coalition of actors joining their forces. Together, they will need ...

  Product labels for circularity can encourage consumers to make more environmentally friendly purchasing choices, thus nudging manufacturers towards a more sustainable production (16);  help extend product lifespan by promoting repair over disposal (4); and ensure correct sorting and recycling of end-of-life ...

Currently, 75% of European houses are energy inefficient, which means that much of the energy needed is simply lost [7].  There are several passive and active solutions to improve energy efficiency in buildings.    Passive solutions typically refer to solutions that reduce the amount of energy lost. They include ...

Heat recovery in district heating networks is relevant for climate-neutral targets due to the replacement of fossil fuels in proportion to the use of waste heat alongside renewable energy sources. The exchange of heat and coolth among different buildings and sources represents an interactive way of satisfying thermal energy needs for space ...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can  store heat or cold to be used at a later time under varying conditions such as temperature, place, time, or power. The main use of TES is to overcome the mismatch between energy generation and energy use [1]. The key requirements for the design of a TES system are high energy density in the storage ...

Different service providers offer services to help customers improve their buildings energy performance. These are typically called energy service companies (ESCOs). They can help achieve energy savings by implementing energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects [e.g. Houseful]. Typically, the service is delivered through Energy Performance ...

Heat Pumps (HP) are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. HP can provide heating, cooling or domestic hot water both for residential and non-residential applications. There are several types of HP (electric compression heat pumps, gas driven HP, heat driven HP, etc.), ...

  Enhancing the thermal performance of building envelopes by improving the thermal properties of construction systems is possible by acting upon not just the insulation level, but also the thermal inertia through proper selection of the construction materials [1–3]. The building structure itself constitutes a source of thermal ...

Buildings represent the largest energy consumer in Europe. Deep energy renovation of the existing stock to reduce its energy consumption seems to be the most appropriate measure and a key policy to achieve emissions reduction targets. The largest part of the European building stock was built way before strict energy requirements were set and, ...

Buses are an integral part of urban public transport systems. However, urban buses are responsible for about 8% of the road transport Green House Gas emissions in EU [8]. Buses with internal combustion engines are responsible also for emissions of fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as air pollutants particulate matter (PM) or nitrogen oxides ...

The urban air mobility (UAM) concept revolves around the use of highly automated aircraft (e.g. drones) to transport goods and people in urban and suburban areas. These aircraft fly at low altitudes, and are usually associated with the use of electric motors for propulsion, to achieve sustainable flights with no emissions during ...

The EC Communication on a European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems [1] acknowledges the key role of digital technologies in the current transformation of the transport sector. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) apply information and communication technologies such as journey planners, eCall (a system that automatically ...

DESCRIPTION:   Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) refers to the development of user-centered, inclusive and shared mobility concepts, for people and goods, that are based on automation and connectivity. These innovative mobility concepts aim to complement and integrate the EU transport system with the aim to make it ...

NetZeroCities Call for Twin Cities Information Webinar | 12th June 2023 This webinar: 1) gives information about the Call for Twin Cities (Call guidelines, who can apply, selection criteria, timeframe, Pilot cities, Application Form etc) and 2) answers questions about the Call.

Greening cities is a transversal solution to numerous urban challenges, not only to support the transition towards climate neutrality, but also to improve biodiversity, social justice and resilience. Greening cities can include many diverse solutions, among them tree planting and the development of parks and natural urban green ...

The Climate City Contract (CCC) is the result of a collaborative process aimed at systemically integrating and accelerating action across all sectors and at all governance levels to help your city reach climate neutrality by 2030. The outcome of this process is captured in the CCC document. This CCC Document Completeness Checklist (Checklist) has ...

Water scarcity is a concern not only due to a changing climate and a rise in demand, but also due to non-accountable losses within water distribution networks. In some parts of the EU, up to 80 % of water pumped into distribution systems is lost [Life SmartWater]. Leakages in large diameter main pipelines represent the highest share of the total ...

Hydrogen used as a fuel has emerged as an alternative fuel with multiple benefits. It is commonly used in its gaseous form to power a fuel cell, generating electricity, where it is completely emission free at point of use, with zero tailpipe emissions. Fuel cells are especially useful in-vehicle applications where the energy and power density of ...

Waterborne transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are on the rise, and they represent today almost 3% of global GHG emissions [1]. Ships entering EU ports emit 13% of the total EU transport GHG emissions [2], while inland waterway transport in the EU is estimated to emit 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year [3]. Apart from GHG ...

Urban rail transit (e.g. light rail, rapid transit, commuter rail, metro rail) is an important component of urban mobility and transport. With relatively low lifecycle emissions, electrified rail transport is considered to be key for the reduction of emissions in transport in general, and also in urban areas.     Railway ...

An electric car uses electric power instead of an internal combustion engine powered by liquid or gaseous fuels like diesel fuel, gasoline, LPG or methane. It has been increasingly recognized that electric cars provide an opportunity to reduce global GHG emissions [3] and greatly increase air quality.   Even though the emissions by a ...

By 2050, the majority of people (67 %) will live in urban areas [1], one of the reasons why urban agriculture and gardening is becoming a topic of growing interest. In addition to providing fresh food to urban areas, community and rooftop gardens provide environmental, social and health benefits, as well as opportunities for economic development. ...

DESCRIPTION:   The new generation of district heating and cooling networks are based on low and/or ultra-low temperature sources of renewable energy and waste heat for heating as well as high-temperature cooling. Such networks provide key options for decarbonizing the thermal energy needs of the building sector and allow supporting ...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can store heat or cold to be used later, under varying conditions such as temperature, place, time, or power. The main use of TES is to overcome the mismatch between energy generation and energy use [1]. The main requirements for the design of a TES system are high energy density in the storage material ...

Solar thermal panels are devices that convert solar radiation into heat and transfer it to a heat transfer fluid (typically, water or an anti-freeze fluid) to storage or the point of use. Solar thermal systems are usually implemented with a water storage tank, to reduce the production-demand fluctuations, and have high operational safety, a great ...

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and utilisation (CCU) present themselves as crucial solutions in the emission reduction strategies for hard-to-abate industries that have few other decarbonization options, such as chemical, cement, and steel production. It can also be used in the production of hydrogen. CCS technologies prevent fossil-based ...

Photovoltaic (PV) energy policies can vary from one country to another and can change over time. In general, policies are designed to encourage the development and deployment of a technology by providing financial incentives, setting performance standards, and creating frameworks for the integration of systems into existing grids. In Spain, ...

Vertical green infrastructure (VGI) has a great potential to support climate transition of compact urban areas. VGI does not compete for land use, but is able to support microclimate regulation through cooling capacities, to reduce noise pollution, to recycle and upcycle rainwater and grey water, to produce food or habitat for species, and to ...

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) are a wide category of water interventions to align modern drainage systems with natural water processes. SUDS comprise “a sequence of management practices, control structures, solutions and strategies designed to efficiently and sustainably drain surface water, while minimising pollution and ...

Currently, there is a widespread lack of awareness on the economic value of building products and components deriving from renovation, repurposing or change of layout in buildings. Especially in office and commercial buildings, the design might change the interior materials many years before technically necessary, leading to unnecessary ...

The built environment industry mostly follows a linear economy model: from extraction of non-renewable virgin materials, through manufacturing and constructing, to disposal in landfills. Registration and documentation of products and materials used in the built environment can help the transition to a circular economy, encouraging their reuse and ...

Industrial symbiosis refers to an association between industries where companies’ waste or side products turn into input materials for another company, creating economic gain for both [8]. The word “symbiosis” is usually associated with relationships in nature, where two or more species exchange materials, energy, or information ...

Flooding, along with related storms, is the most important natural hazard in Europe in terms of human and economic loss [12] and the intensity of flood events has grown in the last years. In urban areas, the waterproofing of soils is incrementally increasing flood risk due to the presence of roads, industries and houses. The intensity and the ...

Green infrastructure means introducing vegetation on/in man-made buildings and constructions to provide environmental, economic, and social benefits (i.e., clean air and water, climate regulation, food provision, erosion control, and places for recreation) [1]. Green roofs advantages over traditional solutions include reduction of surface runoff ...

20% of all food produced in the EU is currently wasted. 70% of this waste stems from households and processing. Although actions are primarily needed to reduce food waste, existing waste can be recycled in several ways to capture valuable nutrients [1].    When selecting recycling solutions for food waste, the food waste hierarchy ...

The stakeholders engagement and dissemination plan is for defining your strategy for engaging and communicating with your stakeholders. It is used for understanding the context based on experiences or by analysing the situation. It helps to identify how differences in circumstances of the environment are related to the project. With this tool you ...

Solar thermal collectors are devices that convert solar energy into thermal energy available in a working fluid, which can be used to cover the heating loads or can be converted into electricity. Nowadays, there are many typologies of solar thermal collectors, which can be classified in many different ways. Nevertheless, solar thermal collectors ...

The basic principles in urban rain water management and retention is to mimic nature, meaning to stay as close as possible to the natural water cycle. In an ideal case, infiltration can store water and then release it as needed. However, in urban environments this is not always possible, therefore, rainwater should be stored in a buffer and ...

The United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) is a global initiative that provides an international platform for information exchange and partnership building to guide cities and communities in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The U4SSC is a UN initiative coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat and supported by other 16 UN ...

Data ownership refers to both the possession of and responsibility for information. Ownership implies power as well as control. The control of information includes not just the ability to access, create, modify, package, derive benefit from, sell or remove data, but also the right to assign these access privileges to others (Loshin, 2002). Data ...

The concept of digital twins traces its origins to product development and simulations of the behaviour of physical objects. It emerged from manufacturing and prototyping such as those conducted by NASA and Formula One racing cars. The digital object that forms the twin looks the same and behaves the same as the “real” object, and so ...

With the introduction of satellite images and geolocated data to a broad public, new opportunities are offered to city planners and governments to take informed decisions by quantitative analyses and even predictions based on these technologies. In doing so, urban phenomena, such as the relation of population demographics to current challenges of ...

Public Code Management is a practice of developing and managing publicly funded software development openly. An ideal situation is to offer free software for everyone. In contrast to proprietary software development, the innovative solution is developed by public organisation with everyone able to share, explore, utilise, and improve the work. The ...

Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) are the minimal but sufficient capabilities needed to achieve interoperability of data, systems, and services between buyers, suppliers and regulators across governance levels around the world. Because the mechanisms are based on an inclusive list of baselines and references, they take into account the ...

Agile systems development, including prototyping and sandboxes, is a method of software development that emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, and rapid iteration. This approach is based on the Agile Manifesto, which advocates for a more flexible and responsive development process that can adapt to changing requirements and customer needs. In the ...

Interoperable Europe is an initiative of the European Commission for a reinforced interoperability policy in the public sector. It evolved out of the ISA² funding programme of the European Union that supported the development of digital solutions to enable public administrations, businesses, and citizens in Europe to benefit from ...

The local data spaces policy in the construction industry refers to the creation of digital representations of a building's data in a secure and controlled environment. This includes information about the design, construction, and operation of the building, such as building plans, specifications, schedules, and energy consumption data. The ...

Open data models refer to the sharing of data in a freely accessible format, allowing for greater transparency, collaboration, and reuse of information. In the construction industry, open data models can be applied to building information modelling (BIM), which is a digital representation a building or infrastructure. By using open data models, ...

Building, structure and infrastructure content in cities is exchanged many ways. When software dominates in market it may be referred as ‘de facto’ standard, but technical guidelines and specifications are decided by its developers. Open standards, on the other hand, are freely available for anyone to use without any legal, technical, ...

The Measuring and Monitoring services and tools may include the following parts: learning info kit - why measuring & monitroring is important to enable good city governance, KPIs, impact and monitoring methods, data collection sources & respective ICT technology, tools and services to support measuring & monitoring of green and ...

Urban development projects are usually complex tasks where failures based on environmental circumstances, such as flooding or strong winds, can cause disastrous outcomes. With the introduction of digital technologies and the availability of large amounts of data, various data-driven methods have been developed to inform leaders of such projects ...

IoT sensors are connected devices collecting and transmitting data over the internet. They can be monitoring environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, air quality. Edge computing is technology doing data processing near the data source, so called at the edge network sometimes also called also fog. Together these solutions can improve ...

Given the exponentially increasing amount of data being generated in cities and communities by many different agencies and the fact that much of this data could be of value to other agencies, increasing numbers of local data sharing ecosystems (Local Data Space) are being set up, where many different agencies can make useful data that they are ...

The renovation supporting solutions can potentially support users (Facility managers, Building owners, ESCOs) in the design and selection of most appropriate building renovation actions. In modern data-driven developments, this is achieved by leveraging the real-time data coming from the actual operation of the building combined with ...

The Predicitve Maintenance supporting tools in general aim at the facilitating predictive maintenance tasks for various large energy systems (e.g. HVAC) installed in buildings. Existing modern real-time data based solutions are able to support recognizing building technical systems' malfunctions, inefficiencies and optimization ...

City Dashboards are typically deployed by stakeholders such as municipalities, provinces or any other organization interested and involved in urban planning. Dashboards provide cities with visual insights about various indicators in their city environment, such as air quality, emissions, traffic, and road safety. These insights can be generated in ...

There is a strong global interest on reducing CO2 emissions. Two cost-effective main routes for this are emissions trading and carbon taxes. CO2 trading platforms are digital marketplaces where businesses, governments, and individuals can buy and sell carbon allowances. It may include one or more exchanges, brokerage, and auctions for allowances. ...

City Platforms are a key part of any city architecture and cities and communities will each have a variety of different platforms at different layers of their overall city platform. The logic behind the use of platforms is straightforward – instead of using many separate applications containing duplicating functionally, all common ...

Building Information Model (BIM) and Civil Information Model (CIM) are digital tools transforming the construction industry. BIM is a set of technologies, processes, and policies of creating and managing digital representations of a building or structure, while CIM is focused on civil infrastructure facilities and sometimes called infraBIM. These ...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring from space is a solution that uses satellites to measure carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20) and ozone (O3) emissions in the atmosphere. Construction industry produces a significant portion of global GHG emissions, and buildings with their energy sources are one of largest contributors to these ...

There are a range of AI applications that can contribute to climate neutrality in cities, across various themes, including energy, transport and built environment for example by: Integrating and optimizing smart urban transport systems via mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) or other single on-demand mobility services; Optimizing energy production ...

Decision making in the urban environment is typically performed using a scenario-based analysis. Stakeholders define a base scenario, which serves as the current situation in a city. Additionally, a reference scenario in which e.g. a road is closed can be defined to study the effects of the closure and make a comparison with the base ...

Predictive modelling is a crucial element for both real-time management and long-term planning in urban areas. For example, road sensor data can be used for real-time traffic management in a city, while predictions based on this data can enable decision makers to study long-term effects of interventions in a city. Typically, predictive modelling ...

In urban areas, rainwater falls and runs off mineralized surfaces (asphalt, concrete, bitumen, etc.). For cities, this generates problems in terms of: water pollution: instead of being absorbed by the soil, rainwater is loaded with pollutants from the leaching of the impermeable surfaces on which it runs; flooding, due to an excessive volume ...

This NBS focuses on the delivery additional ecological components within a hard/built engineering approach to water management. They aid the reduction in pluvial flood risk in urban areas and improve the quality of water within sewerage systems. The main approaches and benefits of hard drainage flood prevention are: Hard-drainage flood ...

The EU Waste framework directive (Directive 2018/851/EU) defines a target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035, along with separate biowaste collection or recycling at source by 2023. Composting is a natural method of waste recycling whereby the organic waste, under natural or induced conditions, is converted into organic fertiliser or soil ...

The natural and built environment that surrounds us largely dictates our behaviours. When it comes to transportation, the domination of the streetscape by car-lanes naturally leads to higher car ownership and use. To address this challenge, the development of well-connected green corridors can promote a modal shift away from cars and towards ...

Urban Garden Biofilter is an air filter framed in an urban garden to reduce the emissions of underground car parks or other stationary sources of pollutant compounds in urban environments. This NBS can be adapted to existing car parks or tunnels, or included in the design of new infrastructures. Urban garden bio-filter, URBAN GreenUP ...

Green filter areas are land application system, constructed to provide a buffer or pollution filter between industrial operations, roads, public spaces or walkways. Different typologies of vegetation have different performances and can be combined with solid barriers. Green Filter area in Colombia A specific application of green filter is used ...

They are mainly shade structures with a total or partial vegetated surface.  Shelters in Valladolid (Spain), URBAN GreenUP project There are different types of shading structure, depending on the structure design and the type of vegetation used, e.g. structure could be textile or wood; vegetation could be climbing and hanging plants; and ...

Urban runoff can contribute to flooding and abrupt contribution to flow in peri-urban/urban streams. It is also frequently characterized by poor water quality, as runoff might contain a mix of contaminated sediments, pollutants, oils through to feltilizers and pesticides if these are not properly applied. In order to meet such challenges, ...

The needs of sustainable and climate resilience cities are driven along with social, ecological and technological transformations. In recent years, technological advances have increased remarkably, which has prompted the exploration of how urban systems can be transformed into "smart cities". The use of information and communications ...

Green Pavements and hard drainage pavements are particular types of pavements made out of a porous concrete surface, open pore pavers or asphalt, with an underlying stone reservoir or water channels touching the soil. Those solutions allow water to filter on the inside and be absorbed by the ground -or drained via a drain tile- instead of running ...

Swales are shallow, flat bottomed, vegetated open channels designed to convey, treatand often attenuate surface water runoff. When incorporated into site design, they can enhance the natural landscape and provide aesthetic and biodiversity benefits. They are often used to drain roads, paths or car parks, where it is convenient to collect ...

Verges spaces are empty spaces that together add up to a large area with the potential to be used for pollinator (Diptera, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera) promotion, which requires management guidance to determine the floral species as well as provision to reduce collisions with vehicles. Providing shelters for pollinators is strategic as they often ...

Healthy soil can serve as a vital carbon store. Climate-smart soil management is therefore crucial and can help to make agricultural practices more resilient to the consequences of climate change. Innovative technologies can improve fertility and soil biodiversity as well as reduce risks for erosion. Conservation agriculture practices such as ...

Cities are amongst the biggest contributors to carbon emissions because of widescale urbanisation, while also being highly vulnerable to resultant impacts of these emissions due to climate change impacts. Solutions that reduce or capture more carbon emissions than they release are called carbon sinks. Urban carbon sinks refer to a combination of ...

Solid and liquid/solid free waste fractions generated in households can be separated for further valorisation. Separation technologies include commercial mechanical techniques as screw press or decanting centrifuges. Once separated, the solid fraction can be converted into biogas in an anaerobic digestion unit to be used within the building. On ...

Plastics are among the key sectors identified in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. The need for solutions that promote circularity in this sector will be increasing as their consumption is expected to double in the coming 20 years. Plastic Waste Management refers to the prevention, reuse, recycle, recovery and disposal of plastic waste ...

The transition to a low-carbon economy will lead to an exponential increase in demand for batteries and raw materials for batteries (such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese) - this supply risk could at least partially be reduced by system level circular economy (CE) approaches. CE is an economic system in which life cycle thinking, ...

There is a global need to find and use alternative protein sources in order to improve the sustainability of the food system. While alternative proteins are studied, the easiest shift in the consumers' diet is to exchange meat with fish intake. Nevertheless, this higher consumption must be done avoiding overfishing and improving the current ...

As cities around the world are growing, we need to find new ways to feed growing urban populations. Our current linear food system is wasteful, inefficient, and resource-intensive. Roughly a third of the food produced worldwide is wasted and ends up in landfills, creating harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Cities (and their peri-urban regions) can ...

Grinded Bio Waste and Blackwater (water from toilets or kitchens) generated in households can be treated in Anaerobic Membrane Bio-Reactors (AnMBR) for the recovery of: Reuse of treated blackwater ( >90%) for toilet or fertigation, Compost: The sludge from the anaerobic digester can be emptied regularly to produce high-quality ...

Black Liquor is a by-product of pulp from mills that make products from trees, such as paper. It is currently used to recover cooking chemicals and produce high-pressure steam used in the pulp and paper-making process. It is composed of different ingredients from these processes such as lignin, hemicellulose, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium ...

The necessity for urban transformation towards a circular economy (CE) system is becoming more evident as urban population and waste generation are increasing. To face this challenge of decoupling the economy from natural resources extraction, the cities need to adhere to several programs and strategies established by national, regional and ...

Urban mining is the process of recovering and reusing materials of existing buildings. An Urban Mining Model is about preserving stock of materials present in existing buildings. It is an applied contribution towards stepping-up of circularity in the housing construction sector with a focus on optimal re-use of secondary building materials ...

There is a clear need to decrease usage of non-renewable raw materials in many applications including packaging. In packaging this means usage of renewable raw materials and decreasing the amount of used packaging material. Target is to produce materials from renewable raw materials that can be used as packaging materials. Packaging materials are ...

Currently, the share of the bioplastics from the overall global plastics production is only 1% (2.1Mt), and it is applied largely for packaging solutions. Globally, sustainability strategies of different countries include replacement of fossils with renewables, however, this intended increase in biomass use will potentially lead to trade-offs that ...

A variety of new technologies and waste recovery systems are being developed in response to European legislation and market forces that aim to recover critical raw materials (CRM) from end-of-life appliances. These diverse resource recovery processes are often regrouped under the concept of “urban mining”, which considers cities’ ...

Urban biodegradable waste refers to waste from gardens and parks, food waste from households, restaurants, food services, and markets, as well as waste from food processing, excluding waste from forestry or agriculture, textiles, wood, or paper. Across the EU, between 118 and 138 million tons of biodegradable waste are generated each year, which ...

The anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is a common process implemented throughout the world as it offers a sustainable source of biogas while valorising municipal waste. Anaerobic digestion also produces digestate, a nutrient-dense mixture that can be used by farmers as a high-quality ...

Pay as you throw (PAYT) is policy instrument that charges citizens for the amount of waste they produce, so the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) services are considered as an utility. It is often linked with the purchase of trash bags directly by the citizens, usually marked with a code. Source: © 2014 WasteZero There are different types of ...

Green hydrogen refers to electrolytic hydrogen produced using electricity generated from renewable energy sources, and also to hydrogen produced via different methods using other renewable sources such as biogas, biomethane, bio-waste and other renewable sources. Since hydrogen’s production translates into extracting it from its compound by ...

Solar heating technologies collect thermal energy from the sun and use this heat for drying purposes, for space heating/ cooling, or to provide process heat. With the advanced solar process heat technologies, almost 50% of head demand in the industrial sector could potentially be met. Heat in the lower temperature range (<80°C) can be ...

The monitoring system is a time measuring tool aimed at monitoring, in the long term, the impact of the energy system. Thanks to the monitoring system it is possible to check the energy and environmental performance of the system collecting data such as water temperatures, water flow rates and energy consumptions. It allows also to verify the ...

Heat Pumps are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. Within the last years, due to its large potential, its use for industrial application, recovering heat either from renewable sources or waste heat has been in the focus of the thermal sector. Industrial waste heat ...

Replacement of equipment and machinery is defined as the “substitution of devices due to both economical operational cost reduction and/or the existence in the market of same kind of equipment with enhance characteristics”, and not necessarily due to failures or existent damage. The main benefits of renewal of equipment ...

Energy Management System (EMS) is the powerfull energy management concept that implies: Optimal integration of Distributed Energy Resources (generation, storage an consumption with special relevance of reneable energy) in the energy system, specially in the distribution and transport energy grids. The emerging and active participation of ...

Excess heat from certain processes can be a valuable resource for other processes within the industry and even for other industries or users, directly or after some transformation steps. In general industries have implemented solutions as long as these were cost-effective. However, heat recovery potential is still untapped due to a number of ...

Collective passenger transport can be defined in two categories: Conventional and high capacity public transport, which consists in transporting collectively citizens from one place to the other. Public transport systems usually operate along established routes and are managed on a schedule or timetable. The typical examples of mass public ...

Following the success of Unmanned Aircrafts, UAs (drones) in surveillance and remote sensing, drone delivery systems have begun to emerge as an alternative to trucks and vans for handling last-mile delivery. Drone delivery solutions are expected to reduce delivery costs, delivery time, congestion, GHG and local emissions in urban areas and hence ...

Mobility hubs provide a focal point in the transport network that seamlessly integrates different modes of transport, multi-modal supportive infrastructure, and turn spaces into places. It is designed and spatially organised in a way to facilitate access to transport modes and easy transfer between the modes, from rail, to buses, shared cars, ...

To reach the target of climate neutrality of European cities by 2030, it is very important to introduce renewable energy systems into the global energy system. To manage the fluctuating power generation of renewable energy systems, it is very important to use energy management techniques. One of the energy management techniques is to establish ...

Microgrid is usually understood as sub-area of an electricity distribution network that is organized and operated independently but is connected to the public electricity grid. Several energy producers and consumers are connected to the microgrid, whereby its expansion is usually limited to campus, several buildings, or a neighborhood due to the ...

District heating and cooling systems consist of heating and/or cooling production facilities and distribution grids similar to electricity systems. They essentially produce heating and cooling energy remotely and transport it to the consumers. The sizes, temperatures, and energy supply options within these systems vary greatly across Europe and ...

Fuel Cells (FC) are electrochemical devices that transform hydrogen and oxygen to obtain water and electrical power through an oxidation chemical reaction. FC are known as gas-to-power (or hydrogen-to-power) technologies. Unlike batteries, the reactive compounds are consumed continuously and produce electricity on-site: Figure: gas-fuel ...

Geothermal energy has a long tradition in human history, from thermal baths to heating and power generation. It represents an important resource of renewable energy. The use of geothermal energy normally requires high temperatures to be viable. This often means deeper and more expensive drilling work. Some technologies can produce power at lower ...

Distributed wind consists of wind turbines connected to the distribution level of the electric grid, to serve either on-site loads or local loads in the same grid. Use cases are utility (cooperative or publicly owned), industrial, residential, institutional, governmental, commercial, or agricultural. The most common grid applications are ...

Building envelope consists of all components that separate the interior from the exterior in a building, it includes the roof, walls and floor. The most important principle for energy efficient construction is a continuous insulating envelope all around the building, which is also key to maintain comfortable indoor conditions. Figure from ...

Chemical storage refers to storing electricity that can be released as required though chemical processes. Known also as batteries that can act as chemical energy storage and become future energy generation solutions more efficient and profitable. They are especially interesting for intermittent renewable sources (e.g. solar or wind energy ...

Biomass includes all land- and water-based vegetation, as well as all organic wastes. As a renewable energy source, biomass is used for facility heating, electric power generation, and combined heat and power (CHP). For the cities, the preferable way of the utilization of biomass for electricity generation is in CHP plants with supply to a ...

Co-generation is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat. In a regular power plant, the heat remaining in the generation of electricity is released to the environment, mostly through cooling towers or cooling water, whereas in a cogeneration plant, the heat is recovered for use in homes, businesses, and industry. Source: ...

Cities are a framework where the water-energy nexus is becoming critical due to demographic movements, economic growth, or the inexorable increase in the demand for both resources. Metropolises around the world are also facing global change pressures due to climate change and water scarcity, which are making it a challenge to continue to deliver ...

A synthesized ‘NZC Civic Environment Mapping Tool’ has been developed to: -integrate key insights from the analysis of the various stakeholder mapping canvases -integrate elements from the NZC priority areas and levers of change that the cities will have defined as key entry points to their CCC process -provide Mission cities with a simple ...

A concept is a principle or an idea, which supports climate neutrality city targets, that can combine several solutions together. Below several concepts that can help in decarbonizing cities are presented by the Net Zero Cities experts:  By accounting for all three scopes of GHG emissions in a city's inventory, policymakers and ...

A sewage heat recovery via pump system is designed to withdraw heat from warm wastewater (12-15°C) through heat exchangers, in a closed loop to avoid mixing; preheating cold tap water, and reducing heating demands and fossil fuel consumption. These systems can be implemented for individual buildings to pre-heat tap water for domestic hot ...

Biomass is defined as organic matter derived from plants or animals available on a renewable basis. Cities can collect waste biomass to produce biogas, or can get the wood biomass from the region. As it is distributed worldwide, one of the advantages of biomass utilization for energy is that almost every country can utilize its own resources. ...

The built environment makes up almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and the embedded emissions of materials used in construction are contributing greatly to this. Concrete alone is responsible for 4 to 8% of the world’s CO2. Circularity in the built environment and the use of biobased materials can play a significant role in ...

Natural ventilation (or passive ventilation) makes use of natural forces, such as wind and thermal buoyancy, to circulate air to and from an indoor space in order to maintain good air quality. These ventilation systems work to regulate the internal air temperature as well as bring fresh air in and send state air out. This is largely achieved ...

Heat Pumps (HP) are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. There are several types of HP (electricity compression heat pumps, gas driven HP, heat driven HP, etc.), the most common and efficient the electrical ones. When electricity comes from renewables, it can be ...

Street lighting is a fundamental service provided by municipal governments. It ensures safe transport, makes cities safer, and allows cities to look their best. Smart street lightings are characterised by the fact that the individual light point not only fulfils the function of the lighting, but also offers additional services for citizens. An ...

The free-cooling systems are based on a simple idea: exchange indoor air with outdoor air, which allows you for conditioning a zone for free. Free cooling cannot be used alone as it depends a lot on climate conditions, so it is usually applied together with a mechanical ventilation system or air-conditioning system In air-to-air heat ...

The development of sustainable and climate neutral energy production will increase a lot of new fluctuating renewable energy generation to the grid. This increases the need for new methods to balance the electricity grid. Demand response is a method for matching the demand for energy to the available supply of energy (ISO/IEC 15067-3:2012). Demand ...

Building automation and control systems contribute to the energy-efficient operation of buildings of all use types. They enable the energy-efficient and cost-effective integration of local renewable energy supply technologies, as well as the management of energy storage and flexibilities to optimally balance energy demand and supply in the ...

Geothermal energy has a long tradition in human history, from thermal baths to heating and power generation. It represents an important resource of renewable energy. Geothermal heating plants can come in a variety of types depending on the geological conditions, availability of geothermal water and the needed supply temperatures in the heating ...

In the case of PVT hybrid system, both heat and electricity is generated. The heat production of these panels can be used to reduce fossil fuel consumption and at the same time, satisfy the same supply of domestic hot water and space heating. The heat could also be supplied to a low-temperature district heating system to increase the RES ...

Climate-smart greenhouses are making use of innovative solutions to adapt to changing conditions in cities as a consequence of climate change. They allow for food production in densely-populated urban areas with a minimal environmental footprint, using less resources (energy, water) and space than traditional greenhouses and adapting to changing ...

Joinery is the component used to dress the openings (openings intended to let light and people circulate), i.e. doors and windows. Windows play an essential role in bioclimatism. In winter they must capture free solar gain while reducing heat loss. In summer, they must limit direct solar radiation to avoid overheating, while enable natural ...

From the land use planning perspective, urban green spaces or urban green areas are defined by Corine Land Cover classification[1] as “Areas with vegetation within or partly embraced by urban fabric. This class is assigned for urban greenery, which usually has recreational or ornamental character and is usually accessible for the public, and ...

Current global developments put increasing economic and social pressures on urban systems. While current risks in key sectors such as water (water stress, scarcity, floods), ecosystems (soil, land, biodiversity, etc.) or food (decrease on production, irrigation, etc.) are clearly identified, existing solutions tend to tackle them individually with ...

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is an innovative approach that brings together companies from different sectors to promote the valorisation of waste, improvement of resource efficiency and reduction of environmental impact.(Optimising Environmental Performance of Symbiotic Networks Using Semantics - ScienceDirect) Industrial Symbiosis involves an ...

The concept of the 15-minute city is one of the most prominent attempts to avoid or shorten trips in people's everyday lives. This can be achieved if essential services (e.g. shops, pharmacies, schools, work places, hospitals, leisure destinations etc.) are physically close to people's residential bases. The 15-minute city concept is thus ...

Smart grid is the concept that describes the evolution of power systems to integrate and utilise techniques to adjust the flow of power to optimise the match between electricity supply and demand. The term "smart grids" is used to define the integration of new technologies and methods, often data-driven, in existing power system ...

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and permanently storing it in plants, soils, oceans, geological features, or long-lived products like cement, where it can be locked away for decades or centuries – this results in a negative emission. Negative emissions can be achieved ...

As it happens with some other subsets of sustainability term or its application (i.e.: climate-neutral city, smart-sustainable city), there is not unique and clear definition for the eco-district term. Generalist definitions describe an eco-district as an urban development aiming to deploy the objectives of sustainable development, focusing on ...

The European Commission’s Renovation Wave strategy​ [1]​ states that “The Commission will introduce Digital Building Logbooks that will integrate all building related data provided by the upcoming Building Renovation Passports Smart Readiness Indicators, Level(s) and EPCs to ensure compatibility and integration of data throughout ...

The overarching process of Activating an inclusive ecosystem for change is at the heart of the Climate Transition Map approach, and is intended to expand and gain more momentum during each iteration (or turn through the Map). Co-create the portfolio process with an inclusive activation of your local ecosystems is key to support and enable a strong ...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic. Water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ozone (O3) are the primary GHGs in the earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, there are a number of entirely human-made GHGs in the atmosphere, such as the ...

European Commission Information Session - Tuesday 4th April

This guide will walk you through the tools needed to start to build your own systems maps. Although useful for anyone wishing to teach or learn systems mapping it is primarily designed for those facilitating systems change initiatives or running a systems innovation lab. The guide starts with a high-level overview of the value and relevance of ...

The systemic design toolkit is for change-makers willing to trigger a process of systemic transformation. The tools are meant to be used during collaborative co-creation sessions. This booklet will guide you through a selection of eight techniques from the toolkit. These are categorised according to different phases of the design process, but that ...

This UNDP guidebook presents an approach to help a broad range of development practitioners prepare for, engage in, and manage systems transformation using a portfolio approach in complex development spaces. We developed this guidebook as a way to formalize our process and learnings to date, and leverage these to support others as they initially ...

This Systems Innovation Toolkit is designed as an open-source set of modules that can be used for enabling a systems change initiative in the context of addressing climate change adaptation and transformation. The toolkit is designed for a lab team, hub, or initiate aimed at create an ecosystem for systemic change around climate change. The ...

This is shared from the PROSPECT+ collection of replicable projects. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and efficient sustainable energy plans, including their proper monitoring and verification Link: https://www.h2020prospect.eu  

According to the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GESI) [1], digitalization can improve: Healthcare and wellbeing, by mean of telemedicine (like in Norway), to support the healthcare system via phones, through the real-time air quality monitoring (like in the City of Cork), to warn people when the air quality is not good for sports, ...

Radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires urgent and transformative action at scale. Quick technological fixes are not enough. The problems cities face in mitigating and adapting to climate change are complex, rooted in technical, economic, financial, organisational, political, cultural, and social systems. These are all interconnected ...

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By categorising stakeholders in a matrix, according to their impact, influence, importance, contribution, ability to block and engagement, an overall engagement strategy can be devised.

How to gain better insight into the groups of people you want to cater to, and the kind of needs they have, is a fundamental question for every project or organization. The Target Group canvas is a quick and easy way to work out an overview and develop an understanding of the different people your work might reach, and the resources you need to do ...

The QuickStart stakeholder Engagement: Engagement canvas serves as a tool to quickly construct a plan, which can be used to effectively engage with a particular stakeholder.

The Stakeholder Analysis Table can be used to analyze the interest and motivation of stakeholders while setting-up a multi-stakeholder group. To conduct further analysis as the project evolves, to bring in any missing stakeholders and check on the relevance of the membership. It can be used for brainstorming, workshops and for idea knowledge ...

Stakeholder visualization is a tool for obtaining deep knowledge about your stakeholders and their needs, motivations and drivers for participating in your innovation. It will help you create an approach by creating a visual knowledge about stakeholders. This way you can customize activities about specific issues and take into account the needs ...

The QuickStart Stakeholder Engagement: Analysis canvas serves as a tool to quickly construct a plan, which can be used to effectively engage with a particular stakeholder.

After a comprehensive overview has been created of relevant stakeholders, the Stakeholder Power Categories canvas will help to categorise and prioritise those stakeholders in terms of power and impact. Use methods listed below before applying this canvas.

The RACI framework is an effective way of defining roles and responsibilities in decision making. Through the mapping process, it is possible to identify the key stakeholder that need to be engaged to build consensus and arrive at a decision in a participatory manner.

The System Map is a visual representation of the system behind the innovation, whether it be a service or a product. It helps take on a systemic view of the solution and see connections between the different actors that might otherwise not have been perceived. It also maps out the flow of materials, energy, information and money throughout the ...

The Stakeholder Identification canvas aims to provide a comprehensive overview of relevant stakeholders, which include those who benefit from the proposed project as well as those who might be disadvantaged, as part of an inclusive approach to participation.

The Stakeholder Map is a tool for understanding who your partners are or might be and what their role is in relation to your organization. It specifies and visualises the different levels of engagement that the stakeholders may have. This model also states what role the specific stakeholders play in your strategy. It also states if the different ...

The Stakeholder ecosystem map tool aims at identifying and mapping stakeholders based on the sector they belong to and on their level of importance. It should be used at the beginning of the project and can be repeated several times during the project cycle to adapt the group if needed to observe changes that have occurred. It is a visualization ...

The community map enables users to map their urban stakeholders and prioritise them based on their power to be an ally, audience or influencer. The mapping is topic based and requires a focus area, initiative or action to be defined before starting the process. This method of mapping urges users to reflect on the impact of the action, which in ...

Stationary energy is related to energy use and supply in buildings. Buildings account for 40% of energy consumption in cities. Hence, a significant switch to renewable energy in all buildings and facilities is vital. Implement energy-efficient measures to reduce energy demand and improve energy efficiency. For 75% of the EU's existing building ...

The cost saving acquired by minimising the consumption of energy by a private entity in an Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEOS) are utilised to fund the investments of the municipality. EEOSs are legitimately enforceable control mechanisms. The entities are assigned duties of meeting certain energy-saving aims by investing in eligible ...

Residents go through several steps towards a natural gas-free home. We call this the customer journey to gas-free living. In the study 'Natural gas free living: the resident determines' an analysis was made of the drivers and barriers experienced by homeowners in the various steps towards a natural gas free home. Residents are at different ...

Canvas that allows mapping key individuals in the ecosystem (champions, supporters and resistors) and their influence/power as a base to determine the Transition Team over time.

A comprehensive resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate systemic change. Includes many canvases and practical tools.

A comprehensive resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate systemic change. Includes many canvases and practical tools.

A comprehensive resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate systemic change. Includes many canvases and practical tools.

A comprehensive resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate systemic change. Includes many canvases and practical tools.

Cities are showing an increasing willingness to implement energy-saving plans. Integrated energy and GHG scenario mapping tools can support cities in this attempt. They can help to reduce energy consumption, maximize energy efficiency, and achieve science-based emission reduction targets. Mapping energy and gas consumption and determining energy ...

The Turnkey Retrofit service is developed as a homeowner-centric renovation journey, transforming the complex and fragmented renovation process into a simple, straightforward and attractive process: all providers on one platform, where trust is key. Source: Turnkey Retrofit EU Integrated home renovation service supporting homeowners with a ...

The Building Material Passport (BMP) is a document (either electronic or in paper format) that contains the information on products, components and materials existing in a building, as well as their quantities. These data are obtained from the information included in the BIM (Building Information Modelling) model of the building, based on the ...

Ordinances and regulation are the legal mechanisms of local governments for land use and natural resource management. In many cases, both Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Green Infrastructures (GI) can be part of prevention and development instruments. They can preserve natural areas, reduce impervious surface cover and manage climate risks. ...

A low-emission zone (LEZ) is an example of an urban vehicle access regulation (UVAR). A LEZ is a geographic area in a city where vehicle access is limited to those vehicles that meet certain emissions characteristics. A LEZ is a regulatory measure that enables a city to reduce the level of emissions in a given geographic ...

Urban vehicle access regulations (UVARs) are means to reduce the number of vehicles entering a given geographical area. These can include regulatory measures (e.g. low-emission zone), financial measures (e.g. congestion charge) or spatial measures (e.g. creation of a superblock or reallocation of road space to create a pedestrian ...

Even the best sustainable mobility solutions will only be effective if they are used. Mobility Management refers to the promotion of sustainable transport and managing the demand for car use by offering services with the final objective of changing travellers’ attitudes and mobility behaviour. At the core of mobility management are ...

The potential of smart technologies in the building sector was emphasised in the 2018 revision of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) was introduced, followed by two legal acts in 2020 which establish the SRI as an official EU instrument. The European directive doesn't ...

A Building Renovation Passport (BRP) is a document (either electronic or in paper format) outlining a long-term (up to 15-20 years) step-by-step renovation roadmap to achieve deep renovation for a specific building. It addresses the complexity of renovation works and ensures coordination throughout the different stages. They are conceived as an ...

Key EU legislations aim at transforming and decarbonising the European building stock. This includes: The Clean Energy Package for all Europeans – a comprehensive set of legislation that defines European climate and energy policy beyond 2020. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), ...

Water is a fundamental and unique resource necessary for survival in nature and the development of human settlements. Within cities, water provides a series of tangible and intangible services to citizens, including drinking, sanitation, hygiene and amenity. Water interacts with other urban systems and infrastructure (e.g. flooding of roads, ...

Many companies have publicly declared their intention to become carbon neutral in following years. Some due to CO2 emissions price (which is experiencing high increases and implies higher costs for industries), some due to marketing strategies and some because they believe that they also need to contribute to the transition. The EU Emissions ...

Integrated climate plans are the result of a well-coordinated strategic local process that generates a binding document, together with the local community. They show the path towards a meaningful and effective implementation of climate action in the city within a certain period of time. In this sense, an integrated climate plan must be one of ...

The integration of land use planning and urban space management with mobility planning is a central strategy to reduce and avoid vehicle miles traveled and to shift motorised trips to zero or low carbon modes of travel. The development of housing and businesses should be oriented towards infrastructure and services for walking, cycling and public ...

Congestion pricing is a transport demand management measure adopted to reduce the impacts of traffic congestion on cities. It links the externalities of road transport directly to the travellers who produce them. They are implemented through the definition of tolling systems to influence short-term demand choices, forcing travellers to switch to ...

The built environment is responsible for ~40% of the EU’s carbon emissions (European Commission, 2020). Significant investments are required to implement demand-side, passive, as well as infrastructure-level energy efficiency (EE) measures to reduce these emissions in line with the global temperature rise. While traditional financing is ...

City coaching is a type of non-technical intervention performed by an advisory body for members of a city's administration or city officials. This type of intervention can take the form of a meeting, a webinar, a workshop, or a training course lasting for a determined time, depending on the city's needs. The objective of city coaching ...

Those solutions aim at bringing together concrete experiences, different know-hows, views and approaches to design, between different actors, infrastructure plans and solutions using NBS. Involving different actors together entails a wider spectrum when considering methodologies, implementation plans and outcomes predictions. This can be done ...

There is a noticeable potential to process Energy Performance Certificate (EPCs) to evaluate the environmental performance of the building sector at the city scale. Such assessment requires an open-access database and a standard level of EPC information reported by cities. Although a review on the availability of EPC databases revealed that ...

Energy transition commitments and policies mean people qualified to work in the sector and its supply chains will continue to be in great demand. The barriers in the educational system in terms of the energy transition are that education and training systems are reactive and require time to adapt since the design and implementation of updated and ...

In the framework of their Sustainable Development Goal 17: Revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, the United Nations defines capacity building as "the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive ...

Circular economy strategies and projects in cities are often based on experimentation and pilots. This is both an opportunity for creating new knowledge and information, but also a challenge in terms of the human and technical capital needed to design and implement circular economy policies. In this context, capacity building refers to the ...

Transitioning cities toward fundamentally circular models require a broad range of expertise and activities. To perform this generational journey, it is key that municipalities, not only receive adequate advice but also are taught new ways to comprehend their urban metabolism, plan their journey, and enact change within their urban ...

Measuring and monitoring resource flows is key to enable an effective understanding of how cities work in terms of their fundamental stocks and flows, and consequently, to identify circular economy opportunities. Ideally, any circular solution should be based on a comprehensive analysis of the urban metabolism and a monitoring scheme should be ...

The energy transition has far-reaching effects on the direct living environment of citizens. Changes at home, neighbourhood, and environment are necessary in order to achieve goals related to energy conservation and the generation of sustainable energy. The extent to which residents are involved in the process of making sustainable decisions has ...

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is a technology that enables bidirectional charging possibility between vehicle battery to many different use cases such as homes, buildings, services, factories, power grids, or even another vehicle. V2X is often considered as a solution for emergency power supply in the event of a power outage or, especially in case ...

A multi-stakeholder communication platform supporting the understanding and promotion of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) throughout Europe. The platform aims at supporting a continuous dialogue & interaction on NBS to: steer dialogue through forums and debates; identify, communicate & promote successful NBS; identify regulatory, ...

The International Cooperative Alliance defines cooperative as "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise". Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and ...

Easy access to public charging for EVs (including taxis, city utility vehicles, private cars, etc.) is a necessity in transition toward zero-emission electric transport. An expanded charging network needs to be user-centred and integrated with public space design, to encourage consumers to move to EVs and increase electric vehicle drivers’ ...

The city of Valencia has developed a strategy to involve the whole community to reach its energy transition targets, while also supporting those at risk of energy poverty through the creation of energy communities. Link https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/345 

Through a green bond scheme that began in 2017, Östersund has set up a framework for financing sustainable investments in renewable energy, mobility and energy-efficient housing. Energy efficiency improvements in housing in 2021 have led to 892 MWh/year of energy use avoided. Link https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/346 

In line with its climate action and mobility policies, in 2017 the City of Pau decided to invest in a zero-emission fleet composed of eight 18m-long fuel cell-powered buses (a world first) and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. Link: https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/473 

The Gothenburg municipal power company has built an accumulator tank for short-term heat storage and optimising energy supply and demand while reducing the city district heating network’s fossil fuel dependency. Link https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/347 

Public procurement is an instrument that enables a city to purchase work, goods, or services from companies. Public authorities can specify the requirements or criteria to award the company for the public contract: but usually, 55% of procurement procedures use the lowest price as the only award criterion, when in fact, other criteria could be ...

Blended finance approaches make use of public and development finance sources, such as development assistance from donor governments and funds provided by philanthropic foundations, to mobilise additional finance, primarily from private and commercial sources. Their purpose is often tied to the achievement of political goals, such as to ...

A grant is a direct monetary assistance to an entity to pursue a specific project or programme. Depending on its stipulations, it can be used to fund solutions to identified problems within a community and can come from federal, state, regional and international resources. Grants are a great way for municipalities, specifically for ...

Energy Performance Contracting  This is a form of creative funding for capital enhancement that permits the upgrading of funding energy upgrades from cost reduction. In Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), and Energy Saving Company (ESCO) is assigned the responsibilities of executing an energy efficiency or a renewable energy project. ...

Energy Performance Contracting  This is a form of creative funding for capital enhancement that permits the upgrading of funding energy upgrades from cost reduction. In Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), and Energy Saving Company (ESCO) is assigned the responsibilities of executing an energy efficiency or a renewable energy project. ...

Energy Performance Contracting  This is a form of creative funding for capital enhancement that permits the upgrading of funding energy upgrades from cost reduction. In Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), and Energy Saving Company (ESCO) is assigned the responsibilities of executing an energy efficiency or a renewable energy project. ...

Energy Performance Contracting  This is a form of creative funding for capital enhancement that permits the upgrading of funding energy upgrades from cost reduction. In Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), and Energy Saving Company (ESCO) is assigned the responsibilities of executing an energy efficiency or a renewable energy ...

Entities from the public or private sector may set up a revolving fund to increase available capital to ease the financial strain on taxpayers. Under this financing model, a municipality would "invest" debt or equity in a project, for example an energy efficiency program that lowers energy costs and frees up part of the budgetary ...

A financial guarantee is an agreement that guarantees a debt will be repaid to a lender by another party if the borrower defaults. Essentially, a third party acting as a guarantor promises to assume responsibility for a debt should the borrower be unable to keep up on its payments to the creditor.  Guarantees can also come in the form ...

The Lithuanian Energy Efficiency Fund (ENEF) was established in 2015 by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy, and the Public Investment Development Agency (VIPA) of Lithuania. The ENEF channels ESIF finances into the renovation of central government buildings and modernisation of street lighting. For street lighting projects, it ...

One of the political priorities of the region Centre in France for the years 2010-2014 was to make out of the region the ‘eco-region for all’. After adoption of the Agenda 21, the region started to define its long- term vision and developed a Territorial Climate Plan with an objective to reduce the greenhouse gases emissions on the territory ...

Financing investments in Germany & Europe Direct link: https://www.oecd.org/env/cc/CCXG%20March%202013%20Katrin%20Enting.pdf

A commercial loan is a debt-based financing mechanism between the municipality and a financial institution such as a bank used to fund capital expenditures and operating costs. The loan is made available at market rate. Many commercial loans require a good credit rating and/or collateral in the form of municipal assets. Municipalities with a ...

Acquisition and refurbishment of rolling stock (trams and electric buses) and further development of infrastructure for soft modes of mobility (bicycling and walking) in the City of Graz. Direct link: https://www.eib.org/en/registers/all/138491970

Bonds are debt instruments that come traditionally with a fixed interest rate, or coupon and is a loan transaction from an investor to a borrower, usually a larger entity such a government or corporate entity. Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by cities, states, counties or countries to raise capital for infrastructure projects. The ...

Sydney Water has been a major participant in the multi-award winning NSW Sustainability Bond Programme (SBP) since its launch by the NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) in 2018. Eligible ‘green’ projects that Sydney Water has showcased through this programme include those that focus on renewable energy; energy efficiency; pollution prevention and ...

As part of its funding programme, KfW has been issuing "Green Bonds – Made by KfW" since 2014. The proceeds out of the green bonds contribute to KfW's overall funding and are used for KfW's general promotional activities accordingly. KfW allocates funds equal to the net proceeds of its green bonds to drawdowns under the specific loan programmes ...

In 2013, the City of Gothenburg became the first city in the world to issue green bonds, which enable it to borrow money for investments that benefit the environment. More than 75% of proceeds from green bonds issued between 2013 and 2015 are used by the city to fund climate change projects that promote the transition to low-carbon and ...

Institutional investors are considered as an organisation or company that invests money on behalf of other people. Examples of institutional investors are pensions, sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds, commercial banks, hedge funds, and insurance companies. For the benefit of its shareholders, members, customers or clients, these institutions ...

This report is structured in three chapters. The first chapter examines the channels through which institutional investors can access green infrastructure, assesses the extent to which this is currently happening, and identifies the barriers to scaling up these investment flows. The second chapter presents four case studies: on utility-scale solar ...

Partnerships between a government body and a private sector party whereby the private sector provides infrastructure or services that have traditionally been delivered by the public sector are termed as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). PPPs come in different forms. A few of them are mentioned below. The level of ownership, financial ...

Public-private partnerships can help make clean technologies for turning waste into energy accessible to cities. Direct link: https://development.asia/case-study/mobilizing-private-capital-and-know-how-turn-waste-energy

Private businesses, including energy service companies (ESCO) and municipalities will benefit from wider access to finance thanks to a €15 million loan that the EBRD is providing to Banca Intesa, the largest bank in Serbia. The loan will be on-lent for energy efficiency ...

Port of Cork: There is a gain share agreement between the customer and the ESCO, whereby if the actual savings are 4%-6% of the overall energy use, the ESCO will be paid their fees in full. If, however, savings are below 4% of overall energy use, the customer may claw back a percentage of the fees paid to the ESCO. If savings exceed 6% of overall ...

The consultant and the main contractor each guaranteed separately to the client that the project would achieve a 15% energy - efficiency improvements in fossil fuel use. If this guarantee was not achieved, each would lose 7.5% of their respective contract values. Direct link: ...

RenoBooster is an EU Horizon 2020 funded project developed in Vienna that aims to increase the number of green renovations of private housing, thereby contributing to decarbonisation in the city. Vienna supports citizens and private companies through the creation of a renovation hub that provides guidance throughout the refurbishment process and ...

The BEWARE project has co-created and implemented a strategy for adaptation to climate change and flood risk in urban and rural areas. The main pillars of the project are the implementation of targeted Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRMs), the development of a trans-municipal adaptation plan, and the involvement of local ...

The Region of Flanders has launched a Local Energy and Climate Pact (LEKP). The Flemish Local Climate Pact focuses on four areas (greening, participatory energy, sustainable mobility and rainwater) and sets concrete objectives for its nearly 300 signatories – local authorities – to tackle the global climate challenge at the local ...

While acknowledging climate change as the challenge of a lifetime, Glasgow has created the Glasgow Climate Plan to smooth the transition to a low carbon and resilient city and to improve the quality of life of its people while achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Featured by a strong involvement of its citizens perspectives and needs, the city ...

In 2015, Joensuu established the Climate Business Network to engage the private sector in the green transition and to help companies create more sustainable practices to adapt their operations to the new framework and develop carbon-neutral solutions. Link: https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/553  

Järva Dialog, part of Stockholm City's Sustainable Järva initiative to improve energy efficiency of homes, enabled residents to have a say in decisions being made about renovations. 

The city of Barcelona is at the heart of a densely populated metropolitan area between mountains and sea. With 1.6 million inhabitants, it is the core of the largest metropolitan area of the Mediterranean coast of five million inhabitants. It is also a key economic area in Spain. Barcelona is committed to climate change action: the city has set ...

Subsidy model and revenue economics • Provide $4.28 million in grant-based subsidies to five Nepalese municipalities—no repayment required, but municipalities assume the performance risk • The grant payments are contingent upon verified improvements in the service provision and collection of service fees, and are complemented with technical ...

The major sources of revenues for local governments are taxes, user fees and intergovernmental transfers. Taxes such as income taxes, property taxes, land transfer (stamp duty) taxes, general sales taxes and sales taxes on special commodities (licences, permits, hotel occupancy, vehicle registration etc.) along with user fees form the current ...

This case study presents how a property development programme has been used to finance Hong Kong’s public transport system and discusses whether this model is replicable in other countries. Source: https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/Case%204_Land%20Value_Hong-Kong%20MTR.pdf

Tax increment financing (TIF) is a popular economic development tool by which local governments use incremental property tax revenue to fund the public costs of economic revitalization and growth. For many years, municipalities have been looking for innovative ways to fund economic development projects. A wide array of policies, programs, and ...

Internal performance contracting is a financing scheme in which organisational units within a municipality are contracted to implement a project without the need for external financiers. For example, energy efficiency measures could be financed through reduced energy costs.     The municipal budget supplies most of the initial ...

Stuttgart has successfully implemented an instrument to improve the energy performance of its municipal building stock, and significantly reduce its CO2 emissions: internal contracting, or “Intracting”. Internal contracting allows the city to fund energy-saving and efficiency projects for buildings owned by the city, and is part of ...

The biggest challenge in Udine was raising the initial fund, due to the very tight budgetary situation of the municipality. Finally, it was possible to create the fund with income from the EEC’s investment on the National Energy Market. Source:https://energy-cities.eu/best-practice/udine-fund-internal-contracting/

“Energiefonds Den Haag” (ED) Fund is a city fund set up in 2013 in The Hague, under the Holding Fund “Holdingfonds Economische Investeringen Den Haag” (HEID). The aim of the ED Fund is to co-finance energy projects integrated in sustainable urban development plans with loans, guarantees and equity investments. Financed from ...

In 2017, Limburgs Energie Fonds (LEF) was the first Dutch energy fund to receive an investment from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB has now invested an additional €54 million in the LEF, enabling the fund to provide the financial stimulus for even more projects in energy saving, sustainable energy generation, the circular economy and ...

Most buildings in Estonia are energy inefficient. The average annual heating energy used in the buildings today is about 200 kWh/m2 compared to the industrial nations with a similar climate which is about 150- 230 kWh/m2. Energy refurbishment loans for citizens, in particular multi-family apartment buildings, are available in Estonia since 2002. ...

The Municipal Energy Saving Fund (ESF) was formed in 2014 as a revolving fund to reinvest money from energy savings into new energy-saving initiatives, doubling savings impacts throughout the city and region. The fund targets energy-efficiency measures in Litomerice’s municipal buildings. Source: ...

To self-finance using own capital, or equity, is one of the most conventional ways of financing any activity. Municipal Budget Spending is a type of funding in which a city can finance its projects using resources from its own budget.  To finance a municipal activity with this type of funding source, a city facilitates a needs assessment ...

Heidelberg is a small to medium-sized city in Southwest Germany. Between 2012 and 2017, the city’s population grew from 138,000 to 150,000 people. In order to accommodate the population growth, in 2008 the city of Heidelberg began to convert land once occupied by a railroad terminal into a modern green district. The area, known as Bahnstadt ...

Edison Facility Solutions SpA, offered over € 11 million of investment, of which € 7 million for municipal buildings and just over € 4 million reserved for provincial school buildings. The ESCo guarantees 52% of overall energy savings, of which 5%, just under 90,000 €. At the end of the contracts, in 15 years, 100% of the ...

The PM4PM Project (Preparation and Mobilisation of Financing for Sustainable Energy Investments in Primorska Region Municipalities) financed sustainable projects in 5 sectors within 33 municipilaties, through the ELENA Grant from 2016 to 2019. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement ...

Aradippou’s solution was an initiative from the city council including the technoeconomic support of the EU Affairs Advisor of the Municipality. Under the scheme envisaged by the municipality, citizens will be rewarded for their solar PV investments by receiving payments on a municipality coordinated credit card called the “Oxygen ...

The OesteLED streetlighting ESCO project was implemented in 12 municipalities that constitute an Intermunicipal Community, a NUT III region in Portugal, with a population of approximately 365,000 inhabitants. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and efficient sustainable ...

The project "STREETLIGHT-EPC" had the goal of creating demand and supply for EPC projects in 9 regions by setting up regional EPC facilitation services. They provided comprehensive support to municipalities and to SMEs as potential ESCOs.   PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance ...

The city of Lisbon launched The Lisbon Climate Citizen Commitment, a local government-led initiative that put together climate projects into its Participatory Budget via a “Green Seal”. The Green Seal was a platform that made Lisbon’s Commitment for Resilience to Climate Change material and attracted new private funding ...

To provide effective electric vehicles and charging stations for cities, the BABLE project created their Investment package for Smart Cities (ISC) tool, which offers cities an innovative financing instrument that simplifies the process in looking to implement sustainable and smart urban solutions. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional ...

The H2020 funded REMOURBAN project had the ambition to accelerate the deployment of innovative technologies, organizational and economic solutions to increase energy efficiency, improve the sustainability of urban transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas. It selected 3 lighthouse cities to implement these goals in : Valladolid ...

SCORE is funded by the European Union under its HORIZON 2020 programme, facilitating consumers to become (co-)owners of renewable energies in 3 EU countries. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and efficient sustainable energy plans, including their proper monitoring ...

ORFEE (Office for Renovations and Financing for Energy Efficiency) is a European H2020-funded project that developed the first four French third-party financing companies. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and efficient sustainable energy plans, including their proper ...

The LEMON project was developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight energy poverty through the energy conversion of existing social housing. It focuses on increasing the energy efficiency of buildings while looking to improve housing quality. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and ...

PRODESA aims to assist 7 municipalities in Athens Metropolitan Area to begin energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, using innovative financial tools and attracting private investments. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and efficient sustainable energy plans, ...

In 2018, Green Energy Cooperative (ZEZ) launched the first crowd-investing initiative in Croatia, supported by Križevci local authorities. A solar PV system was installed on the rooftop of Križevci’s Development Center and Technology Park’s administrative building. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local ...

The MARTE project (Marche Region Technical assistance for healthcare buildings Energy retrofit) took place in the Marche Region (Italy) and operated an innovative financing model for energy efficiency in 5 healthcare building. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement effective and ...

BAPAURA is a three-year project focusing on facilitating the refurbishment of public buildings in small and midsize municipalities in Auvergne Rhone-Alpes region. Small and medium sized regions often overlook the energy efficiency portion of their works due to high costs of setting-up such projects. PROSPECT+ fosters capacity building in regional ...

These materials were created as part of The Sustainability Laboratory’s educational curriculum. It was developed with financial support from The Foundation for Advancement of Systems-Orientated Management Education at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Uppsala has a cross-sectoral network, the Uppsala Climate Protocol, whose member organisations work together to inspire each other and others to find local solutions to the climate challenge.

Tallinn established its Energy Agency in 2013 to coordinate the formulation of energy and climate policies by municipal agencies. It is responsible for fulfilling and accounting for the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors and for promoting the need for climate action by residents and energy-efficient renovation of private buildings.

To support its goal of being fossil free by 2040, Stockholm aims to reduce GHG emissions from energy for heating/cooling buildings, electricity and gas use and transport to 2.2 tonnes CO2e per capita by 2020.

At the heart of Prague's transport policy is a more integrated, energy efficient and environmentally effective public transport system. Improvements are being made both to the system’s backbone, the electric rail network and to its intermodal hubs.

Porto is tackling transport emissions with new vehicles and behaviours. Transport accounts for 39% of total emissions in Porto and the city is focusing significant efforts on the sector - its municipal fleet and public transport in particular.

Oslo was one of the first cities in the world to introduce a climate budget (CB) as an integral component of the municipal budget process. Since 2016 its annual CB has proposed a maximum emission ceiling just like the maximum economic expenditure of the fiscal budget, whose structure it shares.

Central to London's Healthy Streets Approach is the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) launched in 2019. Operating 24-hours a day, seven days a week, the ULEZ addresses the need to reduce pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, half of which come from transport.

Ljubljana has initiated a PPP through energy performance contracting, within which the majority of building stock, owned by the city is being deeply energy retrofitted and, where possible, renewable energy sources are being introduced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.