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NetZeroCities and Mission Cities Scientific Research

This page is dedicated to NZC and the EU Mission Cities research and resources.

Join our community of researchers and practitionairs on systemic innovation for sustinability transitions!
How?
- Sign up for the mailing list 
- join our yearly online and in/person events, check out the page dedicated to research events or contact us by email (sabrina.bresciani @ polimi.it)
-let us know if you have publications in relation to the Mission Cities so we can include them in this page

Based on the yearly research and mutual learning events, the NetZeroCities project has developed a white paper to outline  promising and need future research directions based on cities needs, and a related input paper  (interactive graph).

In collaboration with the Mission Cities project Catalyze, we are developing a collection of brief videos testimonials on the relevance of knowledge institutions and scientific research in supporting Mission cities.

Scientific Publications of the Mission Cities 

Conferences and proceedings

Title

Topic(s)

Project

Reference
Who co-creates climate transitions? Stakeholder typologies engaged by 53 European cities in systemic climate actions Stakeholder Engagement NetZeroCities Rohit Mondal, Sabrina Bresciani, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ilenia Piergallini (2026) "Who co-creates climate transitions? Stakeholder typologies engaged by 53 European cities in systemic climate actions" 17th International Sustainability Transitions Conference IST26, august 31-September 2, Zurich, Switzerland
From metrics to meaning: Enabling iterative design for multi-stakeholder engagement and behavioural change in systemic climate transitions with quali-quantitative assessment and sensemaking Stakeholder Engagement, Sensemaking, Desing NetZeroCities Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., Ricard, M., Piergallini, I., Chaudhary, N., and Rizzo, F. (2026) From metrics to meaning: Enabling iterative design for multi-stakeholder engagement and behavioural change in systemic climate transitions with quali-quantitative assessment and sensemaking, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1462
Bridging Research and Practice in the Public Sector: Leveraging Sweet Spot Analysis of NetZeroCities Outcomes to Advance Climate Action in European Municipalities

Design, Stakeholder Engagement, Capability building

 NetZeroCities Ricard, M., Rizzo, F., & Bresciani, S. (2025). Bridging Research and Practice in the Public Sector: Leveraging Sweet Spot Analysis of NetZeroCities Outcomes to Advance Climate Action in European Municipalities. EduLearn25 17th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Palma, Spain. 10075-10082.
Instruments for Implementing Systemic Change to Foster Climate Transitions in European Cities Systemic Approach, Climate City Contracts NetZeroCities Ricard, M.; Mondal R.; Bresciani S. & Rizzo F. (2024) Instruments for Implementing Systemic Change to Foster Climate Transitions in European Cities. Proceedings of the OpenLivingLab Days Conference 2024 - “Living Labs Frontiers” Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact". Enoll ISBN 9789464668629
Prototyping for Policy Making: Collaboratively Synthesizing Interdisciplinary Knowledge for Climate Neutrality Policy making, Social Innovation, Design NetZeroCities Bresciani, S., Tjahja, C., Komatsu, T., & Rizzo, F. (2023). Prototyping for Policy Making: Collaboratively Synthesizing Interdisciplinary Knowledge for Climate Neutrality. In: International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) Conference proceedings (pp. 104-116), Politecnico di Milano, Italy. ISBN: 9788894167436
Social innovation for climate neutrality in cities: actionable pathways for policymakers Social Innovation NetZeroCities Bresciani, S., Tjahja, C., Komatsu, T., & Rizzo, F. (2023). Social innovation for climate neutrality in cities: actionable pathways for policymakers. In De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy.
Designing Systemic Change for Urban Ecosystems: A Framework for Assessing Social Innovation. Social Innovation NetZeroCities Bresciani, S., Rizzo, F., & Deserti, A. (2022). Designing Systemic Change for Urban Ecosystems: A Framework for Assessing Social Innovation. In Cumulus Conference Proceedings Series 10/2023 Detroit (pp. 779-795). USA. ISBN 979-8-218-07901-7

Scientific Journals

Title

Topic(s)

Project

Reference
Designing Visually Supported Large-Scale Sensemaking among Public Servants for Systemic Climate Transitions Design, Sensemaking NetZeroCities Rohit Mondal, Sabrina Bresciani, Francesca Rizzo, Nikhil Chaudhary, & Ilenia Piergallini (2026). Designing Visually Supported Large-Scale Sensemaking among Public Servants for Systemic Climate Transitions. International Journal of Design Management and Professional Practice.
Analysing European cities’ climate mission development priorities through their monitoring and learning effort Indicators NetZeroCities Kantorovitch, J., Tuomisto, M. Analysing European cities’ climate mission development priorities through their monitoring and learning effort. npj Urban Sustain 6, 98 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00398-x
Mapping Social Innovation in Systemic Approaches to Climate Neutrality: An Indicator-Based Analysis of 53 European Cities’ Actions Social Innovation, Indicators NetZeroCities Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., Radhakrishnan, A., & Rizzo, F. (2026). Mapping Social Innovation in Systemic Approaches to Climate Neutrality: An Indicator-Based Analysis of 53 European Cities’ Actions. Sustainability, 18(3), 1496.https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031496
How Do Cities Across European Regions Monitor Their Mitigation Actions? Assessment of Co-Benefits and Their Alignment to SDGs and NEB Indicators, Stakeholder Engagement NetZeroCities Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., Noera, F. M., & Rizzo, F. (2026). How Do Cities Across European Regions Monitor Their Mitigation Actions? Assessment of Co-Benefits and Their Alignment to SDGs and NEB. Geographies, 6(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies6010016
Learning from 102 European Municipalities: Sectoral and Regional Patterns of Action Plans in Climate City Contracts Climate City Contracts, GHG Emissions NetZeroCities Gómez Minguela, A. B., Bresciani, S., & Noera, F. M. (2026). Learning from 102 European Municipalities: Sectoral and Regional Patterns of Action Plans in Climate City Contracts. Climate, 14(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli14020046
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE ASSESSMENT IN 39 CITIES OF THE EU MISSION AIMING AT CLIMATE-NEUTRAL AND SMART CITIES Indicators NetZeroCities Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., & Rizzo, F. (2025). BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE ASSESSMENT IN 39 CITIES OF THE EU MISSION AIMING AT CLIMATE-NEUTRAL AND SMART CITIES. IADIS International Journal on WWW/Internet, 23(2).
Urban transition governance in practice: exploring how European cities govern local transitions to achieve climate neutrality Climate City Contract, Governance NetZeroCities Doci, G., Dorst, H., Hillen, S., & Tjokrodikromo, T. (2025). Urban transition governance in practice: exploring how European cities govern local transitions to achieve climate neutrality. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 7, 1559356. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2025.1559356
Do ambitious cities value collaboration in climate action? Insights from the first group of cities pursuing climate neutrality GHG Emissions, Indicators JRC Ulpiani, G., Vetters, N., Shtjefni, D., Kozarev, V., Dunlop, T., & Pereira, A. G. (2025). Do ambitious cities value collaboration in climate action? Insights from the first group of cities pursuing climate neutrality. Cities, 162, 105945.
Are cities taking action against urban overheating? Insights from over 7,500 local climate actions Solution Themes, Adaptation JRC Ulpiani, G., Treville, A., Bertoldi, P., Vetters, N., Barbosa, P., Feyen, L., ... & Santamouris, M. (2024). Are cities taking action against urban overheating? Insights from over 7,500 local climate actions. One Earth, 7(5), 848-866.
What Cities Want to Measure: Bottom-Up Selection of Indicators for Systemic Change toward Climate Neutrality Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 40 European Cities Social Innovation, Governance, Design, Indicators NetZeroCities Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., & Rizzo, F. (2024). What Cities Want to Measure: Bottom-Up Selection of Indicators for Systemic Change toward Climate Neutrality Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 40 European Cities. Climate, 12(3), 41.
Let's hear it from the cities: on the role of renewable energy in reaching climate neutrality in urban Europe GHG Emissions, Solution Themes, Energy Systems JRC Ulpiani, G., Vetters, N., Shtjefni, D., Kakoulaki, G., & Taylor, N. (2023). Let's hear it from the cities: on the role of renewable energy in reaching climate neutrality in urban Europe. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 183, 113444.
Toward a Comprehensive Framework of Social Innovation for Climate Neutrality: A Systematic Literature Review from Business/Production, Public Policy, Environmental Sciences, Energy, Sustainability and Related Fields. Social Innovation NetZeroCities Bresciani, S., Rizzo, F., & Deserti, A. (2022). Toward a Comprehensive Framework of Social Innovation for Climate Neutrality: A Systematic Literature Review from Business/Production, Public Policy, Environmental Sciences, Energy, Sustainability and Related Fields. Sustainability, 14(21).
Towards the first cohort of climate-neutral cities: expected impact, current gaps, and next steps to take to establish evidence-based zero-emission urban futures. GHG Emissions JRC Ulpiani G, Vetters N, Melica G, Bertoldi P. Towards the first cohort of climate-neutral cities: expected impact, current gaps, and next steps to take to establish evidence-based zero-emission urban futures. Sustain Cities Soc 2023;95.
On the risks associated with transitioning to climate neutrality in Europe: a city perspective GHG Emissions, Governance, Risk Assessment JRC Ulpiani G, Vetters N. On the risks associated with transitioning to climate neutrality in Europe: a city perspective. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2023;183
Towards (net) zero emissions in the stationary energy sector: a city perspective Solution Themes, Buildings and Housing (Stationary Energy) JRC Ulpiani G, Vetters N, Maduta C. Towards (net) zero emissions in the stationary energy sector: a city perspective.Sustain Cities Soc 2023
Assessing climate justice awareness among climate neutral-to-be cities Governance, Just Transition JRC Della Valle N, Ulpiani G, Vetters N. Assessing climate justice awareness among climate neutral-to-be cities. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 2023;10:440.
Circular economy and waste management to empower a climate-neutral urban future Solution Themes, Waste and Circular Economy JRC Möslinger M, Ulpiani G, Vetters N. Circular economy and waste management to empower a climate-neutral urban future. J Clean Prod 2023;421:138454.
Funding and financing the zero emissions journey: urban visions from the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Financing the Ambition JRC Ulpiani G, Rebolledo E, Vetters N, Florio P, Bertoldi P. Funding and financing the zero emissions journey: urban visions from the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature Journal.

 

Books

 

Bresciani S. (Ed.). (2025). Social Innovation Projects for Climate Neutral Cities. Making Municipalities Sustainable with People-Based Solutions. Springer Briefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer Cham ISBN 978-3-031-87726-1. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87726-1

Bresciani, S., Rizzo, F. & Mureddu, F. (2024). Assessment Framework for People-Centred Solutions to Carbon Neutrality: A Comprehensive List of Case Studies and Social Innovation Indicators at Urban Level. Springer Briefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer Cham. ISBN 978-3-031-531

Conference Presentations

  • Gobbo, B., Bresciani, S., Gomez Castilla, A. A., Ruiz-Vasquez, S., Figas-Skrzypulec, J., & Magnuszewski, P. (2026). Navigating as Learning. Making sense of systemic complexity through interactive visual interfaces for public administrators. In International conference Design Principles and Practices| Design across Time. Common Ground Research Networks.

  • Ricard, M., Rizzo, F., Bresciani, S. (2026) Co-Designing a Transdisciplinary Learning Program on Climate Neutrality for Systemic Innovation of the Public Administration: Design as an Implicit Agent of Change. Twentieth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices · Design Across Time · 25-27 February 2026 · Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

  • R. Mondal; S. Bresciani; F. Rizzo (2025) Monitoring behavioural change in to-be-climate-neutral smart cities adapting the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM). Proceedings of the international conferences on big data analytics, data mining and computational intelligence 2025, connected smart cities 2025, and e-health 2025. ISBN 978-989-8704-70-2. Lisbon, Portugal.

  • Akmentina, L., & Schuch de Azambuja L. (2025) City-to-City Learning for a Climate-Neutral Future: Insights from the NetZeroCities Twinning Learning Programme​ AESOP ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025, July 7 – 11, Istanbul.  https://congress.aesop-planning.eu/event/1/book-of-abstracts.pdf

  • Schuch de Azambuja L. & Akmentina, L. (2025) Facilitating Urban Climate Transitions Through City-to-City Learning: An Overview of the NetZeroCities Twinning Learning Programme. EGOV2025 – IFIP EGOV-CeDEM-EPART 2025, Aug. 31 – Sept. 4, Krems, Austria https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-4127/paper48.pdf

NZC Curated Special issues

Sustainability: Co-design and Social Innovation for Climate Neutrality

Moreno-Serna, J., Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Purcell, W. M., Kordas, O., Lumbreras, J., Mataix, C., Stott, L., Soberón, M., & Spengler, J. D. (2024). Promoting Urban Net Zero Transitions Through Multi-Level Governance: The Intermediary Role of Systemic Collaborative Platforms. Sustainability, 16(21), 9470. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219470 

Terwilliger, J., & Christie, I. (2025). Cities and Governance for Net-Zero: Assessing Procedures and Tools for Innovative Design of Urban Climate Governance in Europe. Sustainability, 17(6), 2698. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062698 

Bos, H., Zwaan, P., & Brandsen, T. (2025). After the Initial Start of Co-Production: A Narrative Review of the Development of Co-Production and Changes in Orientation. Sustainability, 17(3), 971. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030971    

Gooding, L., Knox, D., Boxall, E., Phillips, R., Simpson, T., Nordmoen, C., Upton, R., & Shepley, A. (2025). Ecological Citizenship and the Co-Design of Inclusive and Resilient Pathways for Sustainable Transitions. Sustainability, 17(8), 3588. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083588 

Publications about Mission Cities (not published by the NetZeroCities consortium)

Kupper, D., Pennino, S., Deshayes, E., Veskioja, K., & Haseth, R. (2025). Financing the net-zero transition of Mission Cities: governance barriers and enablers to the use of innovative financing instruments. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 7, 1665973.  https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2025.1665973

Alméstar, M., & Romero-Muñoz, S. (2025). (Re)designing the rules: Collaborative planning and institutional innovation in schoolyard transformations in Madrid. Land, 14(6), 1174. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061174 

Frosini, V., Giorgi, D., Morea, C. ., Rutigliano, C. ., & Collacchioni, S. (2024). A Systemic Design-Led Participatory Process to Address Meaningful Impact Pathways for Netzero Cities. Diid, (83), 14. https://doi.org/10.30682/diid8324b 

Lumbreras, J., & Moreno-Serna, J. (Eds.). (2024). Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Emerald
 

Alméstar, M., Mestre, N., & Romero, S. (2024). The wild city: Collaborative practices in urban renaturing. UPM Press. https://short.upm.es/j72jc 

 

Alméstar, M., Romero-Muñoz, S., & Mestre, N. (2025). Breaking silos: A systemic portfolio approach and digital tool for collaborative urban decarbonisation. Sustainability, 17(11), 5145. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115145 

Shabb, K., & McCormick, K. (2023). Achieving 100 climate neutral cities in Europe: Investigating climate city contracts in Sweden. npj Climate Action, 2(1), 6.
 

Alméstar, M., Romero-Muñoz, S., Mestre, N., Fogué, U., Gil, E., & Masha, A. (2023). (Un)likely connections between (un)likely actors in the art/NBS co-creation process: Application of KREBS cycle of creativity to the Cyborg Garden project. Land, 12(6), 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061145 

Alméstar, M., Sastre-Merino, S., Velón, P., Martínez-Núñez, M., Marchamalo, M., & Calderón-Guerrero, C. (2022). Schools as levers of change in urban transformation: Practical strategies to promote the sustainability of climate action educational programs. Sustainable Cities and Society, 87, 104239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.104239 

 

Atelier itd., Dark Matter Labs, Viable Cities, & Climate-KIC. (2024). Accelerating cities just transitions: Insights for cities and national platforms. https://itditd.notion.site/Accelerating-Just-Transitions-Insights-for-Cities-and-National-Platforms-ad2c73c3b73648818a5e2cd7376c7702 

Moreno-Serna, J., Kordas, O., Lumbreras, J., Minoz, Å., Saniour, N., & Rohracher, H. (2024). National platforms to transform cities using collective experimentation and scale: The case of Sweden and Spain. In J. Lumbreras & J. Moreno-Serna (Eds.), Higher education and SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities (pp. 145–158). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-420-720241008 

 

Moreno-Serna, J., Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Purcell, W. M., Kordas, O., Lumbreras, J., Mataix, C., Stott, L., Soberón, M., & Spengler, J. D. (2024). Promoting urban net zero transitions through multi-level governance: The intermediary role of systemic collaborative platforms. Sustainability, 16(21), 9470. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219470 

Romero-Muñoz, S., Alméstar, M., Sánchez-Chaparro, T., & Muñoz Sanz, V. (2023). The impact of institutional innovation on a public tender: The case of Madrid Metropolitan Forest. Land, 12(6), 1179. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061179 

 

Soberón, M., Ezquerra-Lázaro, I., Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Moreno-Serna, J., Dóci, G., & Kordas, O. (2023). Supporting municipalities to develop collaboration capability to facilitate urban transitions and sustainability: Role of transition intermediaries in Madrid. Journal of Cleaner Production, 426, 138964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138964 

Related publications

Kopp, M., Montfort, S., Pflieger, G., Wagner, N., Kyrychenko, O., Nogherotto, R., ... & Creutzig, F. (2026). Climate mitigation and adaptation strategies tailored for different types of European cities: A typology and associated systematic review. Environmental Research Letters, 21(14), 143001.

 

If you are a researcher working in a project of the Mission cities or related domains, and you'd like to see your publications listed in this page, feel free to contact us by email.

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Phd candidates conducting research on NetZeroCities or Mission Cities

Rohit Mondal, Politecnico di Milano

Morgan Ricard, Politecnico di Milano

Anna Filippi, Politecnico di Milano | Co-design for transition

Francesco Noera, La Sapienza University of Rome & Politecnico di Milano

Lucia Nogales, Politecnico di Milano

Completed

Caterina Bracchi, Ph.D., Unversità Cattolica di Brescia

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If you are interested in the research events we organize, see the dedicated page
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