• Energy Research

This study is a part of the SMARTEES project and looks at the public perception of the superblock policy in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The current regulatory context for the energy sector and in which Energy Communities operate is fragmented and unclear in most EU countries. Although some initiatives have existed in Northern Europe for some time, this concept is considered relatively new. Indeed, EU legislation has only recently recognised Energy Communities through EU Directives 2018/2001 and 2019/944. In the framework of the Erasmus+ EU project EU-NETs (Grant Number KA220-VET-62435110), this qualitative research gathered information regarding the current adaptability and applicability of directives within national legislation, together with the legal and administrative frameworks in Spain, Italy, and Greece. Desk research and semi-structured interviews with 20 key informants from Spain, Italy, and Greece were conducted. Cross-case analysis was focused on the regulatory framework for ECs, its structure, and the models of governance. The results showed that the process of harmonisation of renewable energy legislation has not yet been completed in Southern Europe, with notable differences in the degree of implementation between countries.

Abstract Cities all over the world are confronting intertwined environmental, social and economic problems and aim to become resilient to climate change and promote wellbeing for all their citizens. Nature-based solutions have been proposed as a promising policy approach to addressing urban problems for the potential they have to deliver multiple benefits and foster wellbeing for individuals and communities. However, the evidence for their multiple benefits is rather scarce and highly fragmented, and more robust frameworks for the monitoring and assessment of their impacts are needed to guide urban policy-making. This paper focuses on the current state of impact assessment of nature-based solutions in Europe and through a systematic review of the literature identifies four conceptual problems and three empirical gaps that impede the accumulation of solid evidence regarding of the impacts of different types of nature-based solutions for different social groups; as well as of the contextual conditions that contribute to their performance and delivery of multiple outcomes. Based on the identified mis-conceptualizations and gaps, we derive a series of principles that should guide the development of robust impact assessment frameworks for nature-based solutions. We discuss the policy implications of these gaps and principles. We conclude by making a series of recommendations that should inform the design of impact monitoring and evaluation frameworks in cities, in order to develop the comparative evidence base on the effectiveness of nature-based solutions. This, in turn, can inform urban decision-making on the appropriate design, implementation, and long-term regeneration of nature-based solutions, to ensure long-term delivery of important ecosystem services for different social groups.

AbstractThe successful adoption of social innovations, such as renewable energy systems or pollution reduction plans in cities, depends, to a large extent, on the willingness and participation of the population in their development and implementation. We present an agent‐based model (ABM) to analyze the process of citizen acceptability of a social innovation that uses a variety of agents to represent individual citizens and relevant groups of citizens. Citizen agents make use of the HUMAT cognitive decision‐making model, based on psychosocial theories, to decide on their support for the social innovation considering how their needs will be satisfied if they decide to support (or not) the innovation project, and the influence exerted by the agents in their environment. The ABM was initially developed to represent the urban and transport planning superblock project in the city of Vitoria‐Gasteiz (Spain). The ABM simulations make it possible to study the evolution of public acceptance of social innovation, with the results providing insights to the social dynamics and individual factors that affect the acceptance of the project, enabling an evaluation of how to devise new policies that increase public acceptance. Sufficiently generic to be easily adaptable to different types of social innovations, the ABM is a powerful tool to explore different scenarios and design strategies that foster the acceptance and sustainable adoption of social innovations.

Nature-based solutions offer an exciting prospect for resilience building and advancing urban planning to address complex urban challenges simultaneously. In this article, we formulated through a coproduction process in workshops held during the first IPCC Cities and Climate Science Conference in Edmonton, Canada, in March 2018, a series of synthesis statements on the role, potential, and research gaps of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. We address interlocking questions about the evidence and knowledge needed for integrating nature-based solutions into urban agendas. We elaborate on the ways to advance the planning and knowledge agenda for nature-based solutions by focusing on knowledge coproduction, indicators and big data, and novel financing models. With this article, we intend to open a wider discussion on how cities can effectively mainstream nature-based solutions to mitigate and adapt to the negative effects of climate change and the future role of urban science in coproducing nature-based solutions.

[Abstract] Large organizations are responsible for a significant amount of GHG emissions. This trend will even increase over the next 100 years. An issue for environmental research is the investigation of the factors promoting or hindering the transition to more sustainable energy behaviors in the workplace. This study is part of a larger project, funded under the EU-FP7 program, called “Low Carbon at Work” (LOCAW). We present the results of a qualitative study assessing the existing everyday behaviors in two large-scale organizations: an Italian-based multinational renewable energy producer, and a Spanish public university (The University of A Coruña). Data obtained by interviews with key-informers and focus groups were content analyzed, using ATLAS.ti. Results indicate many commonalities and some differences between the two case studies. Working in a green anergy company leads individuals to be more sensitized about environmental issues, although a core thematic category refers to the concept that energy-related behaviors “rely on individual feeling”. Data from the University of A Coruña suggest this organization has the right values and objectives, but it does not always adequately implement organizational policies to support sustainable energy use among students and employees. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The development of the Connecting Nature Impact Assessment Framework has been accompanied by a series of resources that can be used by cities whose objective is to build capacity to mainstream impact assessment as part of their nature-based solutions policies and plans. Together, they form an impact assessment toolkit for cities. The objective of this Deliverable is to provide a brief description of each of the elements of the toolkit, while the resources and tools themselves can be consulted online, by following the provided links in Appendices I and II. All these materials have been uploaded to websites and platforms so that the elements are easily searchable and downloadable by users. The resources generated fall into the following four categories: 1) Impact assessment plans, results, and integration of data for the Connecting Nature frontrunner cities 2) Finding inspiration: nature-based solutions repositories and databases: OPPLA, the EU Repository of Nature-Based Solutions, and the NBS data and knowledge base created by Dushkova and Haase (2020). 3) The CO-IMPACT tool to design bespoke impact assessment plans, a decision-support tool for the design of monitoring and evaluation plans, with suggestions for appropriate indicators and methodologies. It is one of the main innovations in the project. 4) Additional monitoring and evaluation resources for cities, including handbooks and indicator factsheets to support cities in impact assessment The deliverable also presents the Connecting Nature plans for ensuring the sustainability of project innovations beyond the official end of the project. It describes the design of the Connecting Nature Resource Center, an online repository of searchable resources embedded in the European platform OPPLA. In addition to these five main sections, this document has two appendices. The first one the main resources, and includes keywords, location, description, uses of the product, and associated links. In the second appendix, the impact assessment video trainings are listed, along with links to the videos for easy access. All the resources presented in this Deliverable make up an interactive, online toolkit to support nature-based solutions impact assessment and deployment in cities. containing innovative evidence-based demonstrations for nature-based solutions deployment in cities. The toolkit will also be presented at the CN final Summit in Genk and will seek to stimulate emerging partnerships to support impact assessment plans and investments in cities. Suggested citation: Dumitru, A., Peralbo Rubio, E., Tomé Lourido, D., Collier, M.J., Dick, G., Mahony, P., Porter, J., Sermpezi, R. (2022). Connecting Nature Deliverable 3: Interactive, online toolkit containing innovative evidence-based demonstrations for nature-based solutions deployment in cities. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7010945