UP2030 aims to guide 11 pilot cities through the technical and social transition needed to meet their climate neutrality ambitions and develop pathways and enabling environments for other cities to follow suit. This will be achieved through research, actions and initiatives involving communities, stakeholders, and local administrations.
The active and inclusive participation of communities is considered vital in this process to ensure that their real needs are properly considered and reflected in the vision created for eachcity. This is the only way to ensure fairness and equity in the energy and climate transition.
Problem definition
Cities are responsible for approximately 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Taking action in cities is therefore essential to meet the 2030 and 2050 emission reduction targets of the European Green Pact, established in response to the Paris Agreement. In addition, The European 2030 Climate Neutral Smart Cities Mission calls for even faster action by cities to achieve carbon neutrality.
Our role
Mapping for Change is responsible for City and stakeholder engagement, through the deployment of innovative, participatory and inclusive engagement activities, to identify the needs for updating policies and practice; the barriers in following best practices; and the drivers of change in each of the 11 cities where the UP2030 approach is being piloted. Our interactive Community Mapping platform will provide one of the solutions within which to engage different actors at a neighbourhood scale with the view to supporting spatial justice and participation. Mapping for Change will also act as the City Liaison for the Belfast pilot. and lead on the gender and equality analyses throughout the project.
Partners
The project is funded under Horizon Europe and led at the European level by FRAUNHOFER with 45 collaborating partners. The pilot cities are: Belfast, Budapest, Granollers, Istanbul, Lisbon, Milan, Münster, Rio de Janeiro, Rotterdam, Thessaloniki and Zagreb. The project will run for a period of three years from January 2023.
Related Projects
CIVACT - Promoting civic engagement among youth through district development
CIVACT is a EU-funded, two-year project which aims to address the lack of civic engagement among hard-to-reach youths in urban areas. The goal is to understand how can we empower young people to become the driving force for change through observing and analysing their neighbourhood’s resources and challenges.
Active CiTizenship and Social Housing (ACtS)
As part of the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, Mapping for Change were chosen to represent the UK in a learning exchange project with the University of Udine (Italy) and the University of Oulu (Finland).
Breathe Clean - Citizen Science in Tower Hamlets
Breathe Clean will be providing Tower Hamlets residents with the materials & training needed to monitor nitrogen dioxide levels around the places that matter to them. Participants will measure the air quality at a number of locations over a period of six months, to get a more granular picture of the situation in the borough. The data from the Breathe Clean project will be made available on Mapping for Change’s community maps webpage.