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UP2030 Tools
Funded by the European Commission, UP2030 supports innovation actions to support the implementation of the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission under Horizon Europe research programme. In 36-months, the project supports cities in driving the sociotechnical transitions required to meet their climate neutrality targets by 2030. This collection gathers the tools and resources developed under UP2030.

In this collection

Citizen Mapping Tool - UP2030

The Citizen Mapping Tool is an open-source map-based tool to collect data from citizens and other local actors. The tool allows for conventional types of survey questions, such as multiple choice and map-based questions, including the possibility of adding pins and drawing polygons on a map.

Citizen Voice Tool (external link)

 

An inclusive, web-based, and open source software platform for collaborative data collection that facilitates the citizen participation.


Engaging and understanding communities affected by urban development leads to better planning decisions and improved social outcomes. As a tool for public participation, Citizen Voice opens a channel for citizens to voice their experiences, needs, and aspirations. Citizen Voice provides the opportunity for citizen involvement from the early phase to the follow-up phase of urban development projects.

Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagement towards Carbon Neutrality - Up2030

This toolkit is designed to help cities and organisations support the socio-techncial transitions needed to achieve climate targets drawing on participatory urban planning and design. It provides a checklist covering the key stages of stakeholder engagement, from planning through to evaluation and has been developed as part of the UP2030 project.

Each item on the checklist can be expanded to reveal tools and resources relevant to that step in the process.

 > *Please note: this toolkit should be used once your initial aim has been set and communicated to your team, and it assumes that you have assessed the feasibility of the project. Stakeholder engagement should happen throughout the project, in all its stages; however, this toolkit mainly focuses on the identification of needs, barriers and drivers for change, and on co-creating shared visions.

Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagment (external link to Notion)

 

TU Delft Planning Cycle - stakeholder engagement

The TU Delft Planning Cycle is a structured framework designed to integrate tools, methodologies, and frameworks systematically into urban planning processes, with a strong focus on participatory methods to ensure that the needs and priorities of all stakeholders are considered. This cycle supports the evaluation of city-wide implementation and the transferability of strategies across different urban contexts. Here’s a detailed look at each step of the cycle:

To Identify Needs

This initial phase involves a participatory approach to identifying the community's specific needs and priorities. By involving residents and other stakeholders early on, the process ensures that the resulting urban planning initiatives are closely aligned with the city's inhabitants' actual requirements and aspirations.

To Engage Stakeholders

Following the identification of needs, this step involves detailed stakeholder mapping and analysis to understand the roles, influences, and interests of various groups and individuals. Effective engagement strategies are then employed to involve these stakeholders actively in the planning process, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered.

To Envision Together

This participatory step encourages all stakeholders to envision possible and desirable futures for the urban environment collectively. It’s a creative process that fosters shared visions and builds consensus on long-term goals for the city, laying a foundation for strategic planning and development.

To Co-Design Strategies

Building on the shared vision, this phase involves stakeholders in the co-design of detailed, step-by-step strategies for achieving the envisioned future. This includes developing specific policies and interventions tailored to address the identified needs and priorities.

To Evaluate Feasibility & Impact

Here, the feasibility of the proposed strategies is critically assessed, including financial, technical, and capacity considerations. Additionally, the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of these strategies are evaluated to ensure they are sustainable and beneficial in the long term.

To Co-Design Policy

This involves the participatory design of policies that will enable the implementation of strategies. It's about creating policy frameworks that are not only effective but also equitable and inclusive, reflecting the collective input and consensus of all stakeholders.

To Co-Design Interventions

Similar to policy design, this phase focuses on the participatory design of specific interventions or projects that will bring the strategies to life. This includes detailed planning of the actions needed to achieve the strategic objectives.

To Implement & Test Prototypes

Before full-scale implementation, strategies and interventions are prototyped and tested. This iterative process allows for real-world testing of concepts, enabling adjustments and improvements based on practical feedback and performance.

To Evaluate

Once prototypes have been tested, this stage involves a thorough evaluation to gather insights and feedback from all stakeholders. The evaluation focuses on the effectiveness of the strategies and interventions and provides a critical feedback loop for continuous improvement.

To Upscale

The final step involves assessing the scalability of successful strategies and interventions. This includes evaluating their potential for city-wide implementation and their transferability to other urban areas, ensuring broader impact and applicability.

Limitations & challenges

While the TU Delft Strategic Planning Cycle is a robust framework designed to enhance urban sustainability and inclusivity, it requires adaptation to local conditions. Different cities and communities have unique social, economic, and cultural dynamics that can influence the outcomes of planning initiatives. For instance, the level of stakeholder engagement and the effectiveness of participatory tools may vary greatly due to differences in local governance structures, cultural attitudes towards public participation, and available resources.

Moreover, the cycle’s reliance on broad stakeholder involvement and advanced participatory methods may not be fully realisable in regions with limited civic infrastructure or where public trust in governmental processes is low. Additionally, the technological assumptions embedded in the cycle may exceed local capacities for implementation without significant investments in training and infrastructure.

Rocco, Roberto (Contact person)Gonçalves, Juliana (Editor)Lopez, Hugo (Editor)

The Spatial Justice Benchmarking Tool: Evaluation Board

The Spatial Justice Benchmarking Tool (SJBT) is a qualitative evaluation tool designed to measure the application of justice considerations in urban governance and planning of a city or region, assisting evaluation and reflection. It defines "levels of justice", from "Low" to "Embedded", by assigning a score of the attainment of what is being assessed against the highlighted components of the Spatial Justice Conceptual Model. 

The tool serves to spark discussion and reflection based on Spatial Justice considerations. Using this lens, it is possible to pay greater attention to aspects that redistribute benefits and burdens, engage people and be more responsive in policy and decision-making processes, and recognise the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged individuals, groups, and communities.

Full package contains: 

- Guidance

- Evaluation Board

Spatial Justice Benchmarking Tool

The Spatial Justice Benchmarking Tool (SJBT) is a qualitative evaluation tool designed to measure the application of justice considerations in urban governance and planning of a city or region, assisting evaluation and reflection. It defines "levels of justice", from "Low" to "Embedded", by assigning a score of the attainment of what is being assessed against the highlighted components of the Spatial Justice Conceptual Model. 

The tool serves to spark discussion and reflection based on Spatial Justice considerations. Using this lens, it is possible to pay greater attention to aspects that redistribute benefits and burdens, engage people and be more responsive in policy and decision-making processes, and recognise the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged individuals, groups, and communities. 

 

The Spatial Justice Conceptual Model: advancing the theory and application of Spatial Justice

This publication introduces the Spatial Justice Conceptual Model (SJCM) as an unpacking and a supportive application of the concept of Spatial Justice. The SJCM conceptualises Spatial Justice by defining applicable components for each justice dimension (Recognition, Procedural, and Distributive). When approached as an analytical framework, it allows for a structured and comprehensive way of assessing how aspects of spatial justice are considered in planning and design, while drawing attention to the underlying components that build each dimension.

Presentation: How Just Are Urban Sustainability Transition Plans? 

What is Spatial Justice? Why it matters to sustainability transitions? Why evaluate it?

This presentation covers:

Methodology (Urban sustainability transition plans; Thematic analysis: VSOA method ; Qualitative analysis: Spatial Justice scoring)

Results (Analysis of plans from Belfast, Budapest, Granollers and Rotterdam; Few highlights and comparisons)

Conclusion & Limitations