The Pilot Cities program involves 53 cities that will put new solutions into practice in areas such as mobility, land use, and waste management.
Guimarães was one of the 25 municipalities chosen (and the only Portuguese one) by the NetZeroCities project to be part of the Pilot Cities program. The goal is to test new forms of decarbonization locally for two years, together with 52 other European cities, through innovative approaches geared towards the urban climate transition.
The Portuguese city was chosen from 103 applications from 33 countries in the European Union (EU) and associated to Horizon 2020 (EU framework program for research and innovation). The selected cities will implement actions across several areas, such as waste management, mobility and transport, industrial processes, electricity and buildings, land use, and thermal energy. To foster the exchange of knowledge, each city will be linked to other locations participating in the program.
In the end, the chosen cities are expected to make the necessary adjustments and serve as examples for other cities, pointing the way to climate neutrality through experimentation and collective learning.
Behind the initiative is the NetZeroCities consortium project, consisting of 33 European partners and supporting 112 European cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through the EU Cities Mission platform.
According to NetZeroCities, Pilot Cities “represents the beginning of a longer journey toward climate neutrality that will transform cities and unite them around a shared vision for a just climate transition.”
The activities will have an overall support of 32 million euros in grants from the NetZeroCities project, funded by Horizon 2020. In addition, NetZeroCities will also provide expertise and technical support in implementing the initiatives, helping them secure the investment and funding needed to replicate and scale the solutions.
“Their experience will serve as an example to all cities in the European Union and beyond. The Pilot Cities Programme is just one of several building blocks put in place by the European Union Cities Mission. I encourage all cities to check out all future initiatives, engage with citizens and stakeholders now and prepare their strategy to become climate neutral,” said Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.
Guimarães develops the pilot project “Distrito C: Compromisso de Carbono Zero”, which aims an integrated approach in the scope of energy, mobility, waste and land use, leveraging behavioral change, social innovation, culture, politics, green technologies, sustainable finances and new business models.
“District C” will promote strong citizen involvement in decarbonization, through the use of public transport, energy efficiency and local renewable energy production, including in historic buildings, and circular economy strategies, among others.
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This article addresses an action that promotes change towards more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities, helping toreduce the adverse environmental impact of cities.
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