17 Mission Cities representatives gathered in Madrid for the fifth edition of the NetZeroCities Seasonal School, hosted by consortium partners Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Politecnico de Milano from 27 to 29 November.

This event focused specifically on the implementation phase of Climate City Contracts (CCCs), supporting cities as they move from planning to accelerated action on their climate goals.

The Seasonal Schools are a key part of the NetZeroCities Capability Building Programme, offering Mission Cities tailored support throughout the various phases of their CCCs. These outline cities’ climate strategies, including Commitments, Actions, and Investment Plans, and are developed and endorsed by a variety of stakeholders in each city. At this stage, 53 cities have already received the EU Cities Mission Label, recognising their ambitious plans for climate neutrality. The CCCs also evolve as cities implement and learn from their actions.

The three days were filled with networking, collaboration, peer-to-peer learning, and meaningful insights into the implementation phase of CCCs. Just like preparing a perfect paella, a successful climate transition requires the right tools, ingredients, and chef. The pot? A solid economic model. The ingredients? City data inputs and a portfolio of investment projects. The chef? A dedicated transition team. And the heat comes from effective stakeholder engagement, bringing everything together to drive impactful change.

Peer-to-peer learning in action 

City representatives shared insights into overcoming challenges and building on successes within their climate action strategies. City representatives highlighted some key enabling factors. For instance, the city of Mannheim shared strategies for fostering collaboration across city departments and maintaining a common vision. Meanwhile, the city of Espoo highlighted the importance of partnerships and stakeholder engagement.  

Stakeholder and citizen engagement was further explored on day two, as this is a critical aspect of advancing climate plans. Cities explored strategies to forge alliances with civil society and strengthen internal collaboration within municipalities. They shared on their successes and key learnings, providing real deep-seated peer-to-peer learning. For instance, Porto showcased their innovative approach to CCC implementation, emphasising municipal ecosystem strengthening, advanced data management, and financing mechanisms like public-private partnerships and incentive models to align private interests with municipal goals. 

The final day was centred around the Capital Hub, a neutral capital centre designed to connect public and private financing to support sustainable urban development and accelerate Europe’s transition to climate neutrality. Discussions highlighted innovative methods to monitor and measure the progress of CCC implementation, while emphasising the role of cities as problem-solvers. Participating cities shared their best practices in developing their investment plans and finance strategies, adapting innovative solutions to support their climate endeavours. City teams also engaged in a dynamic social simulation game, assuming new roles in navigating decarbonisation efforts in the fictional city of Solevento. This allowed participants to explore pathways to sustainable change by testing strategic approaches and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

The three-day event was a hub of peer learning, success stories, and collaborative knowledge-sharing through brainstorming sessions, workshops, and in-depth discussions. Key takeaways include the importance of strong partnerships, internal collaboration, and citizen engagement in driving successful implementation of cities’ CCCs. As Mission Cities move forwards with the implementation phase of their CCCs, the lessons learned, and connections forged at the Seasonal School will be invaluable in achieving their climate goals.

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About Seasonal Schools

The Seasonal Schools are part of an extensive Capability Building Programme for Mission Cities, facilitated by the NetZeroCities consortium, which manages the EU Cities Mission Platform. The Schools offer both online and offline learning opportunities. These in-person events are tailored to guide cities in their pursuit of climate neutrality, facilitating the robust support for the development and implementation phase of CCCs.

For more information about the Seasonal Schools you can read more on the previous seasonal schools held in Milan, Santander, Budapest and Stockholm.