EUCityCalc Final Conference and Energy Cities Annual Forum
On June 25, the EUCityCalc Final Conference marked the completion of the European City Calculator Tool and the ongoing training of more than 240 cities across Europe in its use. PIK scientist of the group RD2, Héctor Rodríguez-Chávez, highlighted the institute's central role in developing the European City Calculator. “This tool supports cities in achieving climate neutrality by enabling local authorities to visualize and simulate low-carbon scenarios based on city-specific data.”
PIK's contributions focused on the scientific foundations of the tool, the coordination and building of training modules, and the cocreation of transition pathways for urban climate neutrality. The conference showcased how the tool empowers local authorities to make informed policy choices.
Following the EUCityCalc conference, the Energy Cities Annual Forum "Grafting Cities" took place on June 26-27 at the Palau de la Música. The EUCityCalc project partners were featured in multiple workshops and events, discussing urban sustainability challenges and opportunities with representatives from other research institutes, cities, and projects.
About the EUCityCacl: This Horizon 2020project aims to support cities in developing and implementing scientifically robust, detailed, and integrated transition pathways towards climate neutrality. The project adopts the prospective modelling approach of the EU City Calculator webtool, an open-source tool providing cities with a sectoral outlook on the type and ambition of measures they can take to achieve a transition towards climate neutrality. The model supports cities in designing tailored transition pathways and policy scenarios. https://europeancitycalculator.eu/
EUCityCalc will be still welcoming cities to join the training and use the Tool. For more information contact us at https://europeancitycalculator.eu/
LOCALISED at the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO)
From June 25 to 27, LOCALISED was present at EURESFO24 and hosted a workshop titled “What Kind of Tools and Practices Do City and Regional Administrations Need to Make Urban Resilience a Reality?“. Our goal was to empower municipalities to develop effective, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive climate strategies through practical tools and collaborative discussions.
The workshop, titled “What Kind of Tools and Practices Do City and Regional Administrations Need to Make Urban Resilience a Reality?”, attracted around 80 participants from diverse fields, including academia, policymaking, and the private sector. Key topics included developing ambitious Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) with limited resources, integrating mitigation and adaptation measures, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), engaging citizens effectively, and navigating governance and stakeholder dynamics.
The workshop featured demonstrations of two key tools developed by the LOCALISED project:
- The LOCALISED Climate Action Strategiser: Presented by Tobias Gralke, this tool automates the generation of tailored climate action measures for SECAPs.
- The LOCALISED Citizen Engager: Introduced by Maxie Riemenschneider, this tool focuses on co-creating climate strategies with citizens, facilitating public input in both overarching strategies and specific measures.
The participation of LOCALISED in EURESFO24 has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of the following people: Christiane Walter from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Jordi Pascual, Nadia Soledad Ibañez Iralde and Enric Mont Lecocq from IREC – Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, Maxie Riemenschneider from ÖGUT – Austrian Society for Environment and Technology, Sara Dorato and Katja Firus from T6 Ecosystems srl and Tobias Gralke and Bernd Hezel from Climate Media Factory.
About LOCALISED: The project is a European-funded research project which is developing end-user products and services for local and regional administration and their citizens as well as policy and business decision-makers in a co-design process by (i) providing downscaled national decarbonisation trajectories, consistent with Europe’s net-zero target and (ii) helping to upscale the definition and implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures at local level, the establishment of Sustainable Energy and Climate Actions Plans (SECAPs) and the monitoring of related Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.localised-project.eu/
EUCityCalc in other parallel events: Livable Cities Conference in London
From June 26-28, 2024, PIK also made a contribution to the Livable Cities Conference held at City, University of London. Organized by AMPS (Architecture Media Politics Society), this interdisciplinary conference explored the complex factors that make urban environments livable. The event brought together academics, professionals, policymakers, and researchers from diverse fields such as urban planning, sustainability, sociology, architecture, and public health.
Sandra Barberino, research assistant at PIK´s RD2, presented the EUCityCalc scientific research. Her talk, titled "EU City Calculator: Enhancing Climate Action in European Cities through Co-Creation and Transition Pathways in a Modelling Tool," highlighted PIK's role in supporting local authorities in developing participative Urban Climate Action Plans. The presentation sparked a broader conversation on the challenges and opportunities across various disciplines in supporting cities' public policy development.
Future Directions
The Climate Week in Valencia and the Livable Cities Conference in London demonstrated the power of collaboration in advancing urban sustainability. PIK remains committed to working together with international partners towards climate-neutral and resilient cities.
