The Power of Communities

The agora session, The Power of Communities: Co-Creating Pathways to Climate, explored the vital role of effective stakeholder engagement in developing climate-neutral solutions for cities. Moderated by Veronika Cerna from both ASCEND and the Scalable Cities Secretariat, the panel featured insightful contributions from representatives of the ASCEND project, NEUTRALPATH, Re-Value, and Citizen-Led Renovation Support. 

Baptiste Mougeot from Lyon Confluence highlighted the crucial role that networks and communities, such as Scalable Cities, play in facilitating the exchange of experiences and lessons learned, thereby accelerating the deployment of solutions across Europe. He shared an example from Lyon, an ASCEND lighthouse city, where the city leveraged its network of smart cities to find a business model for its mobility hub. Baptiste highlighted the value of sharing information and best practices within these networks, noting that such collaboration is key to speeding up the replication of successful solutions and driving the broader adoption of innovative urban strategies.

Jörgen Lööf, CEO from ElectriCITY in Stockholm, an ASCEND multiplier city, discussed how ElectriCITY serves as an innovation accelerator, testing and refining climate solutions while ensuring their financial viability for broader implementation. He presented ElectriCITY’s approach to eco-governance, which focuses on educating citizens about energy systems and conducting regular "energy meetings" to foster awareness and engagement. Jörgen highlighted the success of joint procurement strategies, which bundle multiple solutions to enhance efficiency and drive cost savings. “It has to be possible to be climate-smart,” Jörgen stated, stressing the importance of creating energy communities that are both effective and scalable. 

Anh Minh Vu, Project Coordinator for the City of Dresden, discussed the NEUTRALPATH project and its approach to democratic engagement as key to its success in advancing climate-neutral solutions. He highlighted the Dresden Zero initiative, which garnered public support through a referendum that pressured the city council to take meaningful action on climate change.

Dirk Ahlers, Senior Researcher and Project Manager for Re-Value, examined how co-creation can address urban challenges. He underscored the importance of youth empowerment and circular economy principles, citing the Rimini waterfront redevelopment as a successful example of these strategies in action. Finally, Leen Peeters, Founder of Th!nk E, shared insights on how citizen-led initiatives can drive the transformation of energy communities. She introduced the "Triple Sec" framework, which categorised  75 communities into three categories - pilots, learners, and followers. Leen stressed the importance of grassroots engagement, stating, “People are the key ingredient. The success of these initiatives relies on grassroots engagement and the ripple effect it creates within the community.”

This Agora session provided an excellent platform to showcase the innovative and impactful work being done by ASCEND in advancing Positive Clean Energy Districts across its lighthouse and multiplier cities. It was an honour to be part of such a diverse set of presentations, all of which highlighted the critical role that community involvement plays in driving sustainable urban transformation.