IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

Cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change and can be key in transitioning to climate neutrality. However, despite ambitious short- and long-term commitments, only a few cities have managed to translate their plans into concrete transformation paths with tangible goals. The need for practical implementation is emphasised. In this context, the EUCityCalc project supports ten pilot cities by creating a web tool to develop science-based, detailed, integrated climate neutrality pathways and scenarios. The project’s outcome, EUCityCalculator, is a prospective modelling tool to empower cities to develop tailored strategies for decarbonisation, such as the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs). The critical feature of the tool creation is the collaborative process within and with the cities. Within each of the ten pilot cities, the core element in the co-creation process was getting representatives from different organisations together at a common table to discuss the development and implementation of measures for local climate programs (learning). The programs and plans of various administrative units were superimposed, and coordination processes were defined (integration). Furthermore, political decision-makers were invited to sensitise politicians to their responsibility (political validation). Finally, the results of the co-creation processes were presented in a public ceremony and recorded in a memorandum of understanding (public validation). The article illustrates the tool development, the scientific foundation, the structure of the model, and the co-creation process, focusing on the experiences of the pilot cities, from the guidelines to planning, data management, and the implications of the results for policy development. The discussion on the co-creation process of the EuCityCalculator prospective model delivers a useful perspective on issues of sustainable cities broadly understood.