The STEP UP partner cities have identified key climate and energy challenges for their cities which they plan to focus on and address during the development of innovative projects and their enhanced Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs). Cities have also identified key exploitable similarities which present potential opportunities for collaboration. This work presents two key benefits for cities:
- Analysing common challenges and project opportunities allows cities to learn from each other and work together
- The process of identifying city challenges and opportunities supports cities to better understand their own barriers to sustainable city planning and to consider potential solutions, feeding into both future project developments and possible actions for inclusion in a city’s SEAP
The cities have taken different approaches to identifying common challenges and project opportunities. Most cities have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, and used a range of methods and tools to suit their local context, including:
Key Findings
Recommendations for other cities
The work undertaken by STEP UP cities has helped to identify key recommendations for other cities looking to develop innovative projects.
- Develop projects based on an analysis of major challenges: Analysing major challenges in the city has proven to be a helpful starting place for identifying innovative project opportunities. This approach can help cities to take a step back and reflect on their preconceived notions regarding what should and should not be done in the city.
- Use a Problem Tree Analysis: For projects that are just about to start, the Problem Tree Analysis tool has proved to be a structured way of analysing challenges, their causes and consequences, as well as possible solutions. However, in cities where work has already been done in analysing major challenges, it might not be possible to use the tool in its entirety.
- Connect the analysis of challenges to SEAPs or other strategic documents: Identifying challenges in the city’s SEAP or in other strategic documents can be a way of providing a connection between the identified solution and major policy goals in the city.
To read more, download a summary of STEP UP’s work on city challenges and opportunities here.
The Glasgow STEP UP team have also developed a step-by-step guide for cities interested in undertaking a Problem/Solution Tree Analysis in their own local context, as part of a training workshop held for Scottish cities and organisations in April 2015. To view or download the guide, including recommendations for cities, click here
If you have any further enquiries about this work, please contact info@stepupsmartcities.eu