Step Up Smart Cities

The Glasgow STEP UP team would like to invite you to attend a training workshop on Monday 20th April 2015. The session will introduce two key tools that can assist local authorities in different aspects of sustainable city planning: 

• Stakeholder prioritisation matrix – an approach to stakeholder analysis that helps  understand stakeholders’ priorities and improve engagement planning
• Problem/solution tree analysis – a tool that helps to identify and understand key city challenges and new opportunities for sustainability initiatives and plans

About STEP UP

The STEP UP project brings together excellence in sustainable energy planning from four European cities: Glasgow, Ghent, Gothenburg and Riga, in order to develop enhanced Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) in all four cities. In addition to improving sustainability planning within these cities, part of STEP UP’s work involves sharing experiences, lessons and tools from the project with a wider network of cities.

Who should participate?

The training is relevant for policy and project officers working on low carbon and sustainability planning and/or urban planning in local authorities. Whilst the STEP UP project has been focussed on city level energy planning, the approaches and tools being shared can also be applied in other local authority contexts. 

Tools for gaining a better understanding of stakeholders and identifying and understanding key challenges and opportunities are applicable in a range of contexts. Interested participants may be from a variety of different teams, departments and backgrounds, including urban planning, sustainability and climate change, energy, transport, regeneration, housing, economic development and others.

The workshop may also be of interest to those responsible for delivering in-house training within Councils, who could then train relevant staff members across different departments.

What will be covered?

The workshop will introduce participants to two key tools that have been found effective in supporting sustainable city planning in Glasgow, as well as other STEP UP cities. Participants will gain practical knowledge of applying these tools to urban sustainability projects, will test the tools in small groups, and will be provided with a take-home manual for each tool. The manual gives step-by-step guidance to applying the tool, along with lessons learned from STEP UP and key recommendations.

• The first half of the session will introduce the stakeholder prioritisation matrix as a tool for conducting stakeholder analysis. A good understanding of stakeholders, their priorities and influence is critical for delivering successful projects.
• The second half of the session will focus on problem/solution tree analysis. This tool provides a structured approach to understanding city challenges and identifying key opportunities, supporting the development of integrated sustainability strategies and plans that address council priorities and deliver multiple benefits.

Practical Details

The half-day session will be held at the Keep Scotland Beautiful office in Glendevon House, Castle Business Park, Stirling, running from 10.30am – 3.30pm (lunch will be provided). STEP UP has been liaising with the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) team at Keep Scotland Beautiful to arrange this event. SSN provides support to public sector organisations on climate change and sustainable development.

The session is free to attend but spaces are limited, so advance registration via Eventbrite is essential:  www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/approaches-to-sustainable-city-planning-step-up-training-session-tickets-16219373583

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the workshop, please get in touch with Lucy Sparks at lucy.sparks@strath.ac.uk.