Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REACHOUT (RESILIENCE IN EUROPE THROUGH ACTIVATING CITY HUBS REACHING OUT TO USERS WITH TRIPLE-A CLIMATE ADAPTATION TOOLS)
Período documentado: 2021-10-01 hasta 2023-03-31
REACHOUT is a research and innovation project. It aims to further develop city-oriented climate services across Europe, i.e. services that provide cities with tailored climate information in order to help them make climate smart decisions. As part of its adaptation strategy, the European Commission has stimulated the growth and establishment of such services. However, uptake of these services is lagging behind.
REACHOUT aims to improve the uptake and success of certain climate services. It brings together municipalities, climate service providers and scientists to co-develop and test a set of improved services in seven city hubs that serve as living labs. Cities are complex decision-making environments with multiple challenges such as spatial planning, mobility, housing, urban greening, climate mitigation, and adaptation. Therefore, the REACHOUT project is piloting a triple-A approach in which climate services not only address the Analysis of climate risk, but also support setting Ambition and defining Action for broader climate resilient urban development. The hypothesis is that through this integrated approach, the uptake of climate services is accelerated and the needs of the cities are better addressed. The REACHOUT project presents a diverse group of European cities that create “Hubs for co-creation of climate service innovations”, i.e. communities that co-create how climate information becomes digestible and value-adding. With 4 small size cities (Lillestrom, Cork, Gdynia and Logrono) and 3 large cities (Milan, Athens, Amsterdam), REACHOUT covers both heat and flood related hazards as well as advanced and less advanced adaptation capacities.
All city hubs are taken through the same journey: 1) Perform a needs-assessment resulting in the definition of requirements for climate services; 2) Co-develop tools to support urban development and adaptation; 3) Apply the tools, following the Triple-A phases; 4) Address barriers for uptake and develop modes for sustainable implementation. This “front-end development with the cities” is central in the project. It takes place in three development cycles, so all cities have the chance to address all 3 A’s. At the “back-end” of the project we start from existing tools and climate services offered by European platforms, that are being piloted in the city hubs. The collected learnings and tool improvement therefore is used to develop a generic triple A toolkit that can be used for upscaling beyond the 7 city hubs.
REACHOUT aims to improve the uptake and success of certain climate services. It brings together municipalities, climate service providers and scientists to co-develop and test a set of improved services in seven city hubs that serve as living labs. Cities are complex decision-making environments with multiple challenges such as spatial planning, mobility, housing, urban greening, climate mitigation, and adaptation. Therefore, the REACHOUT project is piloting a triple-A approach in which climate services not only address the Analysis of climate risk, but also support setting Ambition and defining Action for broader climate resilient urban development. The hypothesis is that through this integrated approach, the uptake of climate services is accelerated and the needs of the cities are better addressed. The REACHOUT project presents a diverse group of European cities that create “Hubs for co-creation of climate service innovations”, i.e. communities that co-create how climate information becomes digestible and value-adding. With 4 small size cities (Lillestrom, Cork, Gdynia and Logrono) and 3 large cities (Milan, Athens, Amsterdam), REACHOUT covers both heat and flood related hazards as well as advanced and less advanced adaptation capacities.
All city hubs are taken through the same journey: 1) Perform a needs-assessment resulting in the definition of requirements for climate services; 2) Co-develop tools to support urban development and adaptation; 3) Apply the tools, following the Triple-A phases; 4) Address barriers for uptake and develop modes for sustainable implementation. This “front-end development with the cities” is central in the project. It takes place in three development cycles, so all cities have the chance to address all 3 A’s. At the “back-end” of the project we start from existing tools and climate services offered by European platforms, that are being piloted in the city hubs. The collected learnings and tool improvement therefore is used to develop a generic triple A toolkit that can be used for upscaling beyond the 7 city hubs.
First, we acquired better understanding of needs for information from cities based upon their actual policy processes (WP1). We have learned that requirements from cities indeed cover all three Triple-A elements of analysis, ambition and action, but learned these need not necessarily occur in that order or that all three are equally important in all cities. We developed climate stories for each of the seven city-hubs, piloting a novel method (using ARCGIS Storymapping) for integrating climate information into the local context (WP2). One full development cycle (of the planned 3) of dedicated services has been completed in which for each city hub at least one tool has been tailored and demonstrated in a city workshop. In summary: pluvial flooding tool for Milan, Athens and Gdynia, thermal assessment tool for Logroño, Athens and Milan, Social vulnerability tool for Cork, Athens and Logroño, Adaptation pathways, the Floodadapt and crowd sourcing tool for Cork, the climate resilient city toolbox for Gdynia and Lillestrom and GLOFRIS with updated damage functions for the APG pension investment fund (Amsterdam). We see that social vulnerability and climate risks are both drivers for intervention in cities and have made progress towards integrating tools assessing social vulnerability as well as addressing the impacts of heat stress and flooding (WP3). A functional design has been made of the triple A toolkit, to be implemented in the remainder of the project offering direct access to the tools improved under REACHOUT and offering guidance on how to use them, for what purpose, in combination with what other tools and data.
Furthermore, our team has established a well-functioning co-creation environment that includes lounges hosting exchanges between cities (WP1) and Cross-Hub Development Teams promoting exchanges between cities and tool developers (WP2/3). Business models for tools from both developer and city-hub perspectives have also been explored to support the continued usage of tools beyond the life of the project (WP4). Finally, the REACHOUT learning program, with 2 out of 4 modules finalized, has elevated climate knowledge in our city-hubs, increasing climate adaptation and resilience literacy among policy makers and other stakeholders (WP5). REACHOUT has also actively contributed to seek synergies with other EU inititiatives such as organized by the Green Deal Support Office, the mission on Adaptation and CSAs such as ClimateEurope2 (WP5). The communications team has set up a lively, up to date and dynamic website and social media for the project with is actively being used for audiences to learn about the project and its tools and learnings and to communicate about events and results (WP6).
Furthermore, our team has established a well-functioning co-creation environment that includes lounges hosting exchanges between cities (WP1) and Cross-Hub Development Teams promoting exchanges between cities and tool developers (WP2/3). Business models for tools from both developer and city-hub perspectives have also been explored to support the continued usage of tools beyond the life of the project (WP4). Finally, the REACHOUT learning program, with 2 out of 4 modules finalized, has elevated climate knowledge in our city-hubs, increasing climate adaptation and resilience literacy among policy makers and other stakeholders (WP5). REACHOUT has also actively contributed to seek synergies with other EU inititiatives such as organized by the Green Deal Support Office, the mission on Adaptation and CSAs such as ClimateEurope2 (WP5). The communications team has set up a lively, up to date and dynamic website and social media for the project with is actively being used for audiences to learn about the project and its tools and learnings and to communicate about events and results (WP6).
- We have structurally investigated what utility of information means for the city hubs. E.g. we have learnt that contextualization is very important i.e. how the message fits into city stories; how projected risks match with locally perceived vulnerabilities; how urgency of longer term impacts competes with short term needs and forthcoming claims. The use of climate stories as a dissemination tool contribute to a better understanding of climate risk information and they increase awareness about the risks, as they contextualize risk information through the local and tailored narrative.
- Integrating the use of social vulnerability data and climate impacts tools (such as the FloodAdapt tool) also supports the operationalization of climate resilient development pathways, an emerging perspective on more holistic and inclusive climate action.
- Furthermore, REACHOUT has yielded insight into risks of physical damage and second order impacts on real estate investments, potentially guiding institutional investors in their asset management and contributing to a more resilient financial sector.
- Novel business models have been explored through both a developer’s lens and an urban information ecosystem lens.
These and other outcomes have been shared with stakeholders at several events such as the Urban resilience forum, organized interaction with the EC and with other projects targeting the mission on cities and adaptation.
Towards the end of the project we expect to launch a proven set of services with the triple-A toolkit accessible through a dedicated webpage, that is supported by best practice examples, training material and thorough guidance. The services will also be accessible through many other channels in our expending network of projects and platforms. Business and implementation models will have been tested for their ability to further sustain the services. This will allow others beyond the 7 REACHOUT cities to use these services to reach better integrated decisions on climate adaptation, mitigation and urban development.
- Integrating the use of social vulnerability data and climate impacts tools (such as the FloodAdapt tool) also supports the operationalization of climate resilient development pathways, an emerging perspective on more holistic and inclusive climate action.
- Furthermore, REACHOUT has yielded insight into risks of physical damage and second order impacts on real estate investments, potentially guiding institutional investors in their asset management and contributing to a more resilient financial sector.
- Novel business models have been explored through both a developer’s lens and an urban information ecosystem lens.
These and other outcomes have been shared with stakeholders at several events such as the Urban resilience forum, organized interaction with the EC and with other projects targeting the mission on cities and adaptation.
Towards the end of the project we expect to launch a proven set of services with the triple-A toolkit accessible through a dedicated webpage, that is supported by best practice examples, training material and thorough guidance. The services will also be accessible through many other channels in our expending network of projects and platforms. Business and implementation models will have been tested for their ability to further sustain the services. This will allow others beyond the 7 REACHOUT cities to use these services to reach better integrated decisions on climate adaptation, mitigation and urban development.