Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EHHUR (EYES HEARTS HANDS Urban Revolution)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-10-01 al 2024-03-31
Climate change significantly increases vulnerability, undermines economic progress, hinders development, and worsens access to essential services. With 55% of the global population in urban areas, cities are vital in combating climate change. However, many cities lack the expertise to effectively implement energy and sustainability plans, and city managers struggle to find suitable technological solutions and manage comprehensive renovations. The Eyes Hearts Hands project guides the transformation of cities while respecting local heritage and social contexts, involving and supporting residents in their green transition close to home. This project adopts an innovative methodology aligned with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles, aiming to integrate art, culture, and education with science and technology. It also contributes to the EU Missions, which share common goals with the NEB, focusing on addressing major challenges in health, climate, and the environment through citizen engagement and leveraging research and innovation.
The main objectives of the Eyes Hearts Hands project are to:
• Enhance local contexts and prepare them for an EU “Just Transition” through a holistic methodology with high replication potential.
• Engage governmental, private, and industrial stakeholders, as well as residents, through an efficient and always-open communication channel, enabling local communities to co-design the future of their districts and participate in decision-making processes.
• Establish a framework that incorporates traditional financing methods and funding schemes, combined with innovative business models to ensure investment affordability.
• Validate the proposed methodology by implementing innovative technological, social, and financial solutions in seven lighthouse districts, respecting local heritage and site-specific characteristics.
• Support the NEB and EU Missions by echoing their values through strategic communication, capacity building, and training in local communities.
The main objectives of the Eyes Hearts Hands project are to:
• Enhance local contexts and prepare them for an EU “Just Transition” through a holistic methodology with high replication potential.
• Engage governmental, private, and industrial stakeholders, as well as residents, through an efficient and always-open communication channel, enabling local communities to co-design the future of their districts and participate in decision-making processes.
• Establish a framework that incorporates traditional financing methods and funding schemes, combined with innovative business models to ensure investment affordability.
• Validate the proposed methodology by implementing innovative technological, social, and financial solutions in seven lighthouse districts, respecting local heritage and site-specific characteristics.
• Support the NEB and EU Missions by echoing their values through strategic communication, capacity building, and training in local communities.
EHHUR assessment: the environmental and socio-economic baseline characterization of the 7 LHs has been defined. The study, through desk research and joint questionnaire, focused on energy (e.g. energy mix, energy production sources, Renewable Energy Sources contribution), environment (e.g. air quality index, Greenhouse gas emission factor per capita), economy (e.g. energy poverty level, GDP and GDP per capita), and social factors (e.g. level of education, social welfare). After a joint effort between the partners in analysing the NEB principles, a list of general and specific KPIs has been defined together with targets to support the design of solutions and to evaluate their compliance with NEB objectives. The first calculation of KPIs was completed, starting with the definition of the baseline for the KPIs that require it. This represents the basis for shaping the collaborative integrated project’s methodology that will guide the co-design, implementation and monitoring of the identified solutions. In this sense, the road is well-paved also to fully achieve the second target in the next months, together with the creation of the DSS toolbox.
Community engagement: The basis for effective community engagement has been established. Equipped with training, material and guidance, LH leaders and social representatives are now better prepared not only to engage the community effectively but also to pursue higher levels of ambition in alignment with the NEB working principle of participatory processes. Moreover, LHs have initiated community interactions and embarked on various activities. This process is key in understanding the efficacy of our engagement efforts and allows for informed adjustments to optimize future interactions and activities.
Sustainable financial plans: the combination of traditional and innovative financing schemes has been approached through the constant interactions between the LHs and the project’s shareholders, aligning the technical specifications of the chosen methods with the different financial return expectations. A general financial framework allowing the planning and validation of blended sustainable models has been developed and tested. The proposed framework relies on a well-known investment planning method and has been adapted to embed multiple financial instruments.
Holistic EHHUR methodology: a robust methodology has been set up with the collaboration of the technical partners and the engagement of the 7 LHs, developing a process for selecting best practices, assessing them under a technical, social, financial perspective and according to the values and working principles of the New European Bauhaus. A co-designed catalogue of 300 good practice examples solutions and integrated method matching the needs of the 7 LHs at the city, neighbourhood, street, building and systems levels has been produced. 3 technical solutions have been selected per LH to be tested and monitored as feasibility studies for the urban renovations to be further deployed as part of the EHHUR project. The implementation phase in the 7 LHs cities is ongoing.
Outreach: The DEC strategy is developed and put it into practice, with the result that all partners have access to a plan how to communicate and disseminate the project. he visual identity and communication kit for the project has been developed, so that it has a distinct, attractive image and partners have materials to disseminate the project. Collaborations with sister projects, such as other NEB Demonstrators, are established and relationships within the NEB community are fostered. Additionally, project have participated in large international events. As basis for project communication & dissemination, we have defined the targeted audience and mapped stakeholders. This is the basis for the creating of a community of cities to start a policy dialogue. There has been workshops in the LHs, starting the work on the Capacity Building Programme.
Community engagement: The basis for effective community engagement has been established. Equipped with training, material and guidance, LH leaders and social representatives are now better prepared not only to engage the community effectively but also to pursue higher levels of ambition in alignment with the NEB working principle of participatory processes. Moreover, LHs have initiated community interactions and embarked on various activities. This process is key in understanding the efficacy of our engagement efforts and allows for informed adjustments to optimize future interactions and activities.
Sustainable financial plans: the combination of traditional and innovative financing schemes has been approached through the constant interactions between the LHs and the project’s shareholders, aligning the technical specifications of the chosen methods with the different financial return expectations. A general financial framework allowing the planning and validation of blended sustainable models has been developed and tested. The proposed framework relies on a well-known investment planning method and has been adapted to embed multiple financial instruments.
Holistic EHHUR methodology: a robust methodology has been set up with the collaboration of the technical partners and the engagement of the 7 LHs, developing a process for selecting best practices, assessing them under a technical, social, financial perspective and according to the values and working principles of the New European Bauhaus. A co-designed catalogue of 300 good practice examples solutions and integrated method matching the needs of the 7 LHs at the city, neighbourhood, street, building and systems levels has been produced. 3 technical solutions have been selected per LH to be tested and monitored as feasibility studies for the urban renovations to be further deployed as part of the EHHUR project. The implementation phase in the 7 LHs cities is ongoing.
Outreach: The DEC strategy is developed and put it into practice, with the result that all partners have access to a plan how to communicate and disseminate the project. he visual identity and communication kit for the project has been developed, so that it has a distinct, attractive image and partners have materials to disseminate the project. Collaborations with sister projects, such as other NEB Demonstrators, are established and relationships within the NEB community are fostered. Additionally, project have participated in large international events. As basis for project communication & dissemination, we have defined the targeted audience and mapped stakeholders. This is the basis for the creating of a community of cities to start a policy dialogue. There has been workshops in the LHs, starting the work on the Capacity Building Programme.
EHHUR will produce significant impacts in terms of creating a sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetically pleasing urban environments, leveraging innovative solutions and broad community engagement to drive long-term benefits and substantial urban transformations, embracing the mission objectives and NEB principles in 7 LHs. EHHUR addresses key environmental and societal challenges, contributing to several SDGs and involving citizens in co-design processes to reduce energy poverty.
In the initial phase (M1-M18) the project focused on developing a co-designed methodology for urban renovation, raising awareness of climate neutrality and sustainability among citizens and the local community, as well as conducting social acceptance analyses of the selected solutions to gauge public acceptance and potential disruptions. This foundational work is crucial for achieving the project’s long-term goals, such as significant reductions in GHG emissions, creation of new jobs, and the development of new financial schemes and decision-making processes open to citizens and local businesses.
In the initial phase (M1-M18) the project focused on developing a co-designed methodology for urban renovation, raising awareness of climate neutrality and sustainability among citizens and the local community, as well as conducting social acceptance analyses of the selected solutions to gauge public acceptance and potential disruptions. This foundational work is crucial for achieving the project’s long-term goals, such as significant reductions in GHG emissions, creation of new jobs, and the development of new financial schemes and decision-making processes open to citizens and local businesses.