How can cities and regions truly become future-ready? That’s the core question driving this year’s Smart Country Convention in Berlin where #digitalisation and #urbantransformation meet. At Circular Berlin, we believe that circular economy must be part of the answer. But for many municipalities, it’s still a challenge: How do you start? Which tools can help? How can cities collaborate across borders to test what works? That’s why the EU project CircularPSP was launched: to equip cities with digital solutions that make circular strategies actionable. The project is now entering its testing phase and we’re excited to share insights and next steps. A big thank you to Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH for the opportunity to present CircularPSP at the convention. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 | 𝟭𝟯:𝟯𝟬 – 𝟭𝟯:𝟰𝟱 📍 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 👉 https://lnkd.in/e__pU5m9 And for our Berlin-based visitors: there’s even a mobile #Bürgeramt at the fair. And yes, you can apply for a new passport or ID card without an appointment! 😉 #circularberlin #circulareconomy #sccon2025 #smartcity #messeberlin

🚦 If we rethink mobility not as a race, nor as a list of bans, but as a calm and collaborative process, we open space for innovation that societies are genuinely ready to embrace. This is the essence of the CalmMobility Paradigm, which I introduce in my latest publication. It is not only about transport systems, but about the way we govern change: through open innovation, with co-creation across sectors, and with a focus on sustainable, human-centered futures. 🌍 Global debates on mobility and smart cities — from POLIS network, UITP , Autonomy, and European Commission , to United Nations, UNECE-UN/CEFACT, UN-HABITAT New York Office World Economic Forum and ITF - International Transport Forum at the OECD show how crucial it is to bridge research, policy and practice. 🇺🇸 In the United States, leading forums like International Association of Transportation Regulators, SAE International, MIT Mobility Initiative, and Stanford University, MOVE: Mobility Re-imagined highlight the same urgency. The CalmMobility perspective seeks to enrich these discussions with a paradigm grounded in collaboration and societal readiness. 🔎 I am curious: how do you see the balance between regulation, innovation and social acceptance in mobility transformation? 👉 Full open-access article available in the first comment. #CalmMobility #UrbanMobility #SmartCities #Innovation #Sustainability #OpenInnovation #CoCreation #IATR2025

New on Wonkhe: Rachel Connor sets out how communities can be at the heart of inclusive innovation https://lnkd.in/ecEzmfXq ". The recent emphasis on place-based innovation across government departments reflects a growing understanding that place really matters—that solutions appropriate for, say, Manchester might fail spectacularly in Dundee, not because of implementation failures but because they were never designed with local lived experience and landscapes in mind."

Under the banner “EU for Resilient Green Cities”, 26 European and international initiatives are coming together at this year's #SCEWC2025 to present cutting-edge solutions for sustainable, inclusive, and smart urban transformation. This showcase reflects the EU’s commitment to scaling up urban solutions that are climate-positive, citizen-driven, and digitally enabled. It’s a powerful example of how collaboration across cities, regions, and sectors can accelerate the transition to resilient and green communities. Learn more: #EUSmartCities

The C Collective team, led by Joe Collingwood, just completed one of our most impactful projects to support the #climatepolicy research of UCL, Lancaster University, University of Leeds and Involve through a Citizen assembly funded by Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC). 🤜 We created a decisioning platform empowering a citizen assembly to co-create the UK’s energy future. The UK government needed actionable insights from citizens to shape future proof energy policies. University College London, Lancaster University and Involve convened The EDRC Citizen Panel in Manchester to evaluate collective behaviour changes required to meet the UK’s Net Zero targets.  The diverse group of 40 local residents met regularly over two years, to understand the risks, benefits and impacts of a wide range of energy demand reduction scenarios. There was an infinity of potential changes to get there - across home energy performance, travel, food and consumption habits. However, our design challenge was to equip participants with a simple, user-friendly tool to help understand the implications of their choices and the impact of technological and behaviour change at scale.     👉 Our design approach?  Design for informed decision-making, not just data sharing. 🎯 Our goal? Empower citizens to assess trade-offs and prioritize changes that would reduce energy demand and emissions - without losing them in complexity.      💥 Key strategies:   -Focused scenarios: We curated a concise set of social and technological changes options, each tied to tangible energy and carbon reductions outcomes.   -#Codesign: We worked with participants to translate data into relatable examples.  -Iterative testing: We refined the dashboard’s scenarios, content, and navigation through rapid prototyping and testing, ensuring it was accessible and engaging.  Thanks to Darren Moore from One Point Five Comms for partnering with us, Professor Steve Pye from UCL, Andy Yuille from Lancaster University for leading such important research -and trusting us- and Involve for managing fantastic Citizen Assemblies that put real people at the heart of democratic decision-making. Read the full case study to find out more about the design and tech approaches. Watch this space for the publication of the full Citizen assembly’s report.

🗺️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? Cities everywhere are experimenting with bold solutions to today’s challenges. But innovations only reach their full potential when they are communicated in ways that inspire, connect, and build trust. 🗣️ Visualizing city innovations goes beyond documentation or aesthetics. It is about creating narratives that matter: 👫 For citizens – fostering trust and transparency by cultivating empathy and a sense of shared ownership in the transformation process. 🏛️ For governments – enabling peer exchange and learning, so local solutions can spark innovation far beyond city borders. To do this effectively, several factors are key: 1️⃣ Equity and inclusion 2️⃣ Scalability 3️⃣ Measuring real impact on people’s lives 🔜 Over the next two weeks, SDG Local Action will share insights, case studies, and stories from our new guidelines on Visualizing City Innovations—highlighting how local governments are making change visible. 🔔 Follow along to be part of this journey and discover how innovation can be seen, felt, and trusted. #SDGs #LocalGovernments #Visulisation #Innovation #UrbanInnovation #Communication #CitySolution

What’s more important: cutting emissions or ensuring equal participation? At the #HamburgSustainabilityConference, we believe sustainability must mean both. Our strategy commits us to participation and inclusion: building alliances that are diverse, equitable, and accessible to all. But this also brings challenges. Supporting the participation of visually impaired delegates at #HSC25 required not only covering their own travel emissions and costs, but also those of an assistant—and ensuring accessible transport options rather than public transit. This meant higher emissions per person, but it was a necessary compromise to guarantee inclusion and equal opportunity. This was our trade-off: higher emissions (#SDG13) as the cost of facilitating equal participation and accessibility (#SDG10). There are countless examples showing that true sustainability doesn’t just optimize for carbon reduction. It balances environmental responsibility with social inclusion and economic resilience—because all are essential to long-term progress. We believe in measurable progress toward a more equitable and sustainable world. To achieve this, we are working with our audit partner Green Events Hamburg (GEHH) to track and improve the sustainability and inclusivity of the #HamburgSustainabilityConference and the #HamburgSustainabilityWeek workshop day (“Nachhaltigkeits-Werkstatt”). It’s an ongoing process—and we’ll be sharing more insights along the way. Questions or suggestions? We welcome your input. Find out more at hsc.link/sustainability

NEW on Wonkhe: Rachel Connor sets out how communities can be at the heart of inclusive innovation https://lnkd.in/eiqc8AnK ". The recent emphasis on place-based innovation across government departments reflects a growing understanding that place really matters—that solutions appropriate for, say, Manchester might fail spectacularly in Dundee, not because of implementation failures but because they were never designed with local lived experience and landscapes in mind."

Change happens when people get involved 🙌 Last week, Paula Vega spoke at the Sustainable Places Conference in Milan 🇮🇹, where she presented our work on the NEUTRALPATH project. 👉 She shared the methods we’re using to help five cities — Dresden, Zaragoza, Ghent, Istanbul, and Vantaa — bring together citizens, NGOs, public authorities, industry, and academia to co-create and test solutions for cleaner and more equitable urban environments. 👉 We’ve designed interactive tools such as board games and digital totems, and facilitated world cafés to identify the real needs of residents, including tenants, homeowners, and vulnerable groups. 👉 This approach is already showing results, as seen during the last public event we organised in Zaragoza, one of the case studies in the project, which drew over 150 citizens. Interested in #LivingLabs? Want to get citizens involved in your project? Get in touch! 🔗 Learn more about Paula Vega at Sustainable Places: https://lnkd.in/di2BG93d 🔗 Read our guide on setting up Living Labs: https://lnkd.in/e6skxbND Olga Glumac, Ph.D. Esti Sanvicente Evdokia Bairampa Nicole Ramírez Eva Boo Jennifer Krueckeberg, PhD Carla Barceló Sàbat Cynthia Karaki Paula Vega Marta Arniani Louise SOUQUET Chloe Chavardes Olga Korableva ----------------------------- 🟣 Change that counts starts with understanding people. At Three o'clock, we explore human behaviour to co-create solutions, test ideas, and empower communities.

⚡ The building sector accounts for over one third of the EU’s energy-related emissions, making housing a critical arena for climate action and social justice. The European Affordable Housing Initiative aims to tackle the housing crisis by promoting energy-efficient, sustainable, and affordable homes through pilot projects, technical assistance, and a new pan-European investment platform. 📢 Housing affordability is more than rent or purchase prices. It also includes heating costs, energy prices, and overall living expenses, measured for example by the housing cost overburden rate. Effective action therefore requires cross-cutting policies to avoid improvements in one area that trigger price hikes in another. 🌍 To prepare the first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan, the Commission is conducting an Affordable Housing Dialogue throughout 2025 to collect knowledge and data from stakeholders across Member States. The process began with a call for evidence, while a public consultation followed from 11 July, which will run till 17 October 2025, inviting views from the general public and experts on possible policy solutions. 💡Drawing on the insights generated through this dialogue, the Commission will soon present the European Affordable Housing Plan, aiming to deliver concrete European added value in the shared effort to make housing secure, energy-efficient and affordable for all. 👉 Whether you’re a policy expert or an interested citizen, share your views in the consultation and help shape Europe’s housing future. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ddmhAE-U 👉Are you interested in finding out more about what a fair transition that puts affordable housing in the agenda looks like? Register here for our main policy event: Housing and Food: Communities and local-governments driving fair sustainability transitions to find out more! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dME-FPYm 💭Share your thoughts in the comments! 👉Follow the European Day of Sustainable Communities full campaign on our Instagram account @communitiesforfuture to learn more about the EU priorities that impact community-led initiatives. #EDSC2025 #fundingfairerfutures #EUdearprogram #AffordableHousing