Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MULTIPLY (Municipal peer-to-peer learning in integrating transport, land-use planning and energy policy at district level)
Reporting period: 2020-06-01 to 2022-07-31
European municipalities, especially cities, are responsible for a high share of global CO2 emissions. This mainly stems from their heating, electricity and mobility sectors. At the same time, they are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. They should therefore ambitiously strive for a comprehensive energy transition on their own territory. Often, however, sectorial approaches within the municipalities’ administrations impede ambitious next steps to bring about necessary change. With its holistic view urban planning can play a key role to balance different interests and to develop coherent mitigation strategies that address the most important challenges simultaneously. Urban planning, therefore, helps translating abstract political mitigation goals into concrete spatial implications.
Undoubtedly, climate-friendly cross-sectoral (re)development of municipalities is a mammoth task. It is an inevitable task, however, to achieve/preserve livable spaces – locally as well as globally. If existing, mostly fossil fuel based, municipal infrastructures and lifestyles are not drastically altered climate change will be further accelerated. This, in turn, threatens the quality of life of billions of people around the globe and may lead to disruptive societal developments. European municipalities that follow ambitious mitigation paths therefore act in the public as well as in their self-interest. They can be an important role model and inspiration to others, too.
The overall objective of the MULTIPLY project is to make better use of the expertise of urban planners for climate mitigation issues. Their holistic view on optimizing spatial challenges, while minimizing CO2 emissions, is especially valuable. The project tries to raise awareness for the good approaches this discipline has to offer, both nationally and European wide. To this end a capacity development process is set up that features targeted peer learning workshops between forerunner and committed cities in the six project countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden). It makes best practice examples of forerunner cities known to a wider public and motivates committed cities to follow these good examples.
The following main conclusions can be drown from the project:
Peer learning settings are a great way to get the most out of municipal networks in limited time. All participants enjoyed the open exchange atmosphere and were stimulated to think into new directions and start collective and creative problem solving processes. We therefore strongly recommend to further work with similar settings on the municipal level in future EU projects and beyond.
The district level bears a lot of potential – especially for bigger cities and highly urbanized regions. The district level is the perfect intermediate level between citywide scope and building scope. In contrast to a narrow building scope solutions implemented at district level can trigger far bigger – an far more economic - impacts in terms of energy savings and CO2 reductions. In contrast to a citywide scope it allows for quicker changes and – too a certain level – also ‘experiments’.
Although a lot of synergies with other municipal networks could be realized (e. g. ICLEI, Covenant of Mayors etc.) it must be emphasized that an even closer collaboration with existing networks seems most promising. When designing similar municipal projects in the future it seems reasonable to fully integrate them in the existing structure of well-functioning European/global municipal networks.
Undoubtedly, climate-friendly cross-sectoral (re)development of municipalities is a mammoth task. It is an inevitable task, however, to achieve/preserve livable spaces – locally as well as globally. If existing, mostly fossil fuel based, municipal infrastructures and lifestyles are not drastically altered climate change will be further accelerated. This, in turn, threatens the quality of life of billions of people around the globe and may lead to disruptive societal developments. European municipalities that follow ambitious mitigation paths therefore act in the public as well as in their self-interest. They can be an important role model and inspiration to others, too.
The overall objective of the MULTIPLY project is to make better use of the expertise of urban planners for climate mitigation issues. Their holistic view on optimizing spatial challenges, while minimizing CO2 emissions, is especially valuable. The project tries to raise awareness for the good approaches this discipline has to offer, both nationally and European wide. To this end a capacity development process is set up that features targeted peer learning workshops between forerunner and committed cities in the six project countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden). It makes best practice examples of forerunner cities known to a wider public and motivates committed cities to follow these good examples.
The following main conclusions can be drown from the project:
Peer learning settings are a great way to get the most out of municipal networks in limited time. All participants enjoyed the open exchange atmosphere and were stimulated to think into new directions and start collective and creative problem solving processes. We therefore strongly recommend to further work with similar settings on the municipal level in future EU projects and beyond.
The district level bears a lot of potential – especially for bigger cities and highly urbanized regions. The district level is the perfect intermediate level between citywide scope and building scope. In contrast to a narrow building scope solutions implemented at district level can trigger far bigger – an far more economic - impacts in terms of energy savings and CO2 reductions. In contrast to a citywide scope it allows for quicker changes and – too a certain level – also ‘experiments’.
Although a lot of synergies with other municipal networks could be realized (e. g. ICLEI, Covenant of Mayors etc.) it must be emphasized that an even closer collaboration with existing networks seems most promising. When designing similar municipal projects in the future it seems reasonable to fully integrate them in the existing structure of well-functioning European/global municipal networks.
At the start of the project the management structures were established and the visual identity as well as the overall communication strategy were developed.
Subsequently, a broad competition to find forerunner and committed municipalities in the six project countries was set up and run. This served to make the project and the approach of ‘integrated urban planning’ known to the wider expert community and to find participating municipalities. This way, more than 42 municipalities could be motivated to take part in the project.
All in all, the six national peer learning programs required a lot of time, effort and flexibility in view of the Corona/COVID19 pandemic. Two important milestones in this regard were the successful completion of the entire peer learning programs in all countries and the successive development of 26 Energy Plans. Another highlight was the organization and successful realization of the Big European Exchange conference (online) that brought together all participating Multiply municipalities from across Europe.
Towards the end of the project more and more time was devoted on dissemination activities to spread the main results of the project. Two important milestones were the compilation of the six National Guidelines on integrated urban planning and the realization of a series of six national Dissemination Workshops. Also, an interactive European Guideline on integrated urban planning was developed. All this was presented during the Urban Future Conference in Helsingborg/Sweden which served as the final European conference in the project.
Main results of the project include:
26 Energy plans for all committed cities: These plans entail concrete targets for energy and CO2 savings as well as renewable energy production. They entail energy savings potentials of 4.000 GWh annually from 2030 onwards if fully implemented.
6 National Guidelines: The national guidelines are available online (on the project websites); in some countries they have also been printed and distributed during the workshops and conferences.
26 Info Packs for six project countries: The info packs focus on spreading knowledge on the achievements, success factors and barriers to integrated urban planning of the cities and the energy planning process of districts. They were distributed via the dissemination workshops and the partners’ websites.
European Guideline: The European Guideline is an interactive illustration of a fictional city that displays the most common problems, approaches and solutions of the different participating cities. The illustrations with solutions were linked to summaries of best-practice examples. The web-report was promoted by the partners through the dissemination activities and at the European conference in Helsingborg and at international conferences visited by the partners.
Subsequently, a broad competition to find forerunner and committed municipalities in the six project countries was set up and run. This served to make the project and the approach of ‘integrated urban planning’ known to the wider expert community and to find participating municipalities. This way, more than 42 municipalities could be motivated to take part in the project.
All in all, the six national peer learning programs required a lot of time, effort and flexibility in view of the Corona/COVID19 pandemic. Two important milestones in this regard were the successful completion of the entire peer learning programs in all countries and the successive development of 26 Energy Plans. Another highlight was the organization and successful realization of the Big European Exchange conference (online) that brought together all participating Multiply municipalities from across Europe.
Towards the end of the project more and more time was devoted on dissemination activities to spread the main results of the project. Two important milestones were the compilation of the six National Guidelines on integrated urban planning and the realization of a series of six national Dissemination Workshops. Also, an interactive European Guideline on integrated urban planning was developed. All this was presented during the Urban Future Conference in Helsingborg/Sweden which served as the final European conference in the project.
Main results of the project include:
26 Energy plans for all committed cities: These plans entail concrete targets for energy and CO2 savings as well as renewable energy production. They entail energy savings potentials of 4.000 GWh annually from 2030 onwards if fully implemented.
6 National Guidelines: The national guidelines are available online (on the project websites); in some countries they have also been printed and distributed during the workshops and conferences.
26 Info Packs for six project countries: The info packs focus on spreading knowledge on the achievements, success factors and barriers to integrated urban planning of the cities and the energy planning process of districts. They were distributed via the dissemination workshops and the partners’ websites.
European Guideline: The European Guideline is an interactive illustration of a fictional city that displays the most common problems, approaches and solutions of the different participating cities. The illustrations with solutions were linked to summaries of best-practice examples. The web-report was promoted by the partners through the dissemination activities and at the European conference in Helsingborg and at international conferences visited by the partners.
The project activated and empowered local public authorities across Europe to strive for ambitious planning and implementation of comprehensive climate mitigation projects at district level. In total, more than 42 municipalities, including more than 180 municipal professionals, across Europe ware actively and directly engaged in the peer learning programs.
The insights gained were disseminated to a wider audience of municipal professionals via a European exchange conference, three dissemination workshops with interested municipalities in each partner country, and further communication activities.
Until the end of the project the 26 cities developed energy plans for their model districts/municipalities that entail ambitious energy savings and renewable energy targets. This way, it is expected that the project helps triggering high investments into climate-friendly district development in the participating municipalities. The 14 institutionalized Energy Plans entail energy savings potential of 2.596 GWh/a if fully implemented.
The insights gained were disseminated to a wider audience of municipal professionals via a European exchange conference, three dissemination workshops with interested municipalities in each partner country, and further communication activities.
Until the end of the project the 26 cities developed energy plans for their model districts/municipalities that entail ambitious energy savings and renewable energy targets. This way, it is expected that the project helps triggering high investments into climate-friendly district development in the participating municipalities. The 14 institutionalized Energy Plans entail energy savings potential of 2.596 GWh/a if fully implemented.