CASE STUDIES
Discover how cities are turning bold ideas into real-world impact, from reimagining mobility and district heating to empowering citizens, unlocking green finance, and transforming local food systems.
DISTRICT HEATING
SUSTAINABLE FOOD
Milan: Milan Food Policy
Helsinki: Climate Meals – Illmastoannos
Berlin: Real Junk Food Berlin
France: Agroecology
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
Antwerp: EcoHouse
Madrid: Entrepatios Las Carolinas
Cloughjordan: Eco Village
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
Guimaraes: The one planet city
Lahti: 1.5 Degree Lifestyles
Tartu: Smart House Training Program
Stockholm: Pop-up Återbruk
Ljubljana: Applause
Netherlands, Belgium & Austria: Play!UC
Finland: Nappi Naapuri (Nifty Neighbor)
CO-CREATION WITH CITIZENS
Espoo: The co-creation toolkit
Belgium, Croatia, Latvia, Norway, Spain: PentaHelix
Madrid: City Studio Programme
Niš: Green Squares
COLLABORATIVE PLATFORMS
Reykjavik: Better Reykjavik
Spain: El Dia Despues
Athens: SynAthina
Bologna: Citizen Collaboration Pacts
Sveta Nedelja: Online transparency platform for budgeting and governance
Lada and Velilla: Just Transition Listening Platform
CITIZENS' ASSEMBLIES AND CITY LABS
Barcelona: Barcelona Citizens’ Assembly
Rzeszów: Urban Innovation Lab
Torino: Torino Social Innovation
Turku: Turku’s Climate Team
LOCAL ENERGY COMMUNITIES
Valencia: Local Energy Communities
GREEN FINANCING
Malmo: Green Bonds
Lisbon: Green participatory budget
Braga: You Decide
BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Helsinki: Decarbonising apartment buildings
Schönau: Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS)
Zagreb: Blok Program
Issy-Les-Moulineaux: Geothermal energy powering an eco-neighbourhood
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Helsingborg: Safe and Active School Mobility
Bordeaux: Tackling Congestion
Vitoria-Gasteiz: Exploring shared mobility solutions & SuperBlocks
Helsinki: Ride Sharing Service
Castelo Novo, Municipality of Fundão: Sustainable Urban Mobility
Oulu: Cycling Superhighways
Taurage: Greening public transport
SMART CITY SOLUTIONS
Florence: Lighting the path to climate neutrality
Helmond: Brainport Smart District (BSD)
Paris: 15 min neighbourhood
Krakow: Climate Quarter Project
Madrid & Vienna: Clean Cities ClimAccelerator
SYSTEMS THINKING
Stepanavan (Armenia), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Prizren (Kosovo), Pljevlja (Montenegro) and Skopje (North Macedonia): City Experiment Fund
POLICY BRIEFS
Policy Labs, facilitated by NetZeroCities, explore a variety of pressing issues such as climate finance and investment, nature conservation, renewable energy, building renovation, decarbonisation of industry and sustainable transport. These sessions adopt a city-centric approach, fostering collaboration between Mission Cities representatives and EU Thematic Policy Experts. The outcome of these policy labs is the creation of Mission Cities’ Policy Briefs which offer a comprehensive set of policy recommendations aimed at EU decision-makers and national authorities.
Industry Decarbonisation Policy Brief
Decarbonisation of Agriculture and Food Systems
Finance and Investment Policy Brief
Nature-Based Solutions Policy Brief
Supporting Energy Communities Policy Brief
Built Environment Policy Brief
Stakeholder perspectives on EU Urban Data Governance 2025
Stakeholder perspectives on the Social Climate Fund from a Mission perspective
CCC HIGHLIGHTS
The CCC Highlights provide thematic information extracted from labelled Climate City Contracts.
PUBLIC DELIVERABLES
Download the public deliverables of the NetZeroCities project from NetZeroCities, SGA-NZC, and SGA2-NZC.
NetZeroCities
- European climate initiative review and 2030 climate neutrality gap report
- Compatibility framework and operationalization
- Climate-neutral City Contract concept
- CCC resource package for one stop shop platform
- CCC online training sessions for cities recording
- Report on training modules for city guides
- City cluster portraits
- Report on support needs assessment for CCC
- Online Action Plan Scoping and Design Specifications
- CCC as a Governance Innovation Instrument
- Identified city needs for MEL, metrics, indicators
- Comprehensive indicator framework
- Identified climate impact indicators based on existing indicators review
- Report on assessment methodologies for planning and monitoring GHG emission reductions through urban greening and nature-based solutions
- Report on indicators & assessment methods for social innovation action plans
- Indicators for capital / finance needs and replication potential
- Shared data infrastructure concept, including shared data infrastructure, visualisation of KPIs and respective usability evaluation
- Requirements for a data & visual data interface systems incl. proceedings of workshops
- Evaluation report for CCC
- Assessment of the evaluation framework for social innovation action plans
- Evaluation report for large pilots
- Comprehensive Indicator Framework
- Design and specification for the platform
- Capacity building programme plan
- One stop shop platform & Platform technical description and user guide
- Pilot City Expertise support process
- Annual reports on platform performance
- One stop shop platform report
- Exploitation and business plan / model for the future of the platform and of the project results (demonstrator)
- Open call process guidebook
- Text of open call and related communication
- Draft report on implementation and impact of pilots – Year 1 of pilots
- Final report on implementation and impact of pilots – Year 2 of pilots
- Sensemaking workshop reports
- Cross-fertilisation insights report
- Replication and scale up report
- Twins call and selection criteria
- Structured twinning learning programme
- Catalogue of pilot cities
- Mid-term progress report on twinning
- One climate action plan roadmap per twin city
- 30 case studies of best practice
- Multimedia case study published
- Mapping of national and regional city collaboration
- National and regional city collaboration and multi-level governance report
- Report on systemic city transformation methodology and user journey
- Report summarising support given to pilot and twin cities on the CCC
- Report on pilot city systemic innovation needs in portfolio
- Report on capacity & capabilities building approach for systemic transformation in pilot cities
- Exemplar case studies for capacity and capability building among cities involved in pilots or aligned with the Mission
- City climate finance landscape, barriers and best practices in city climate finance
- Training programme & “embedded tutoring” on innovative finance for city officials overview
- Report describing innovative climate finance assessment and knowledge development
- Investment plan framework
- Feedback to First Cohort of Cities
- Financing methods for co-benefits
- Feedback to Second Cohort of Cities
- Policy recommendations
- Desktop research report on engagement
- Readiness in city governments action learning programme
- Citizen engagement model and template action plan
- Civic engagement map
- Civic engagement mapping approach
- Service model for citizen and stakeholder participation (initial version)
- Service model for citizen and stakeholder participation (final version)
- Method for coherent implementation of work at local level
- Learning report on implementation of transversal and systemic innovation
- SI observatory for climate neutrality
- SI methodologies for design, prototyping, testing, monitoring
- SI methodologies for SI scale up
- SI matchmaking service pool blueprints, customer journeys
- SI experimenting services pool blueprints, customer journeys
- SI capacity building services pool blueprints and customer journeys
- Evaluation of the SI learning programme
- Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan
- Updated Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (1)
- Updated Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (2)
- Updated Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (3)
- Project website and social media accounts
- Report on Content Production
- Report on Community of Practice
- Report on three awareness campaigns
- Proceedings of NetZeroCities conference n°1
- Proceedings of NetZeroCities conference n°2
- Proceedings of NetZeroCities conference n°3
- Visual kit for cities
- Report on city needs, drivers and barriers towards climate neutrality
- Training materials for city guides
- Annual reports on engaging with pilot and twin cities
- Mid-term infographics on city interaction
- Final infographic on city interaction
- Mid-term report on city panel activities and recommendations
- Final report on city panel activities and recommendations
- Stakeholder map
- Report on consultation input to CCC concept and multi-level governance process
- Annual report: strategic sub-panel
- Annual report: CCC signatories sub-panel
- City finance and investment policy recommendations
- Policy framework media package
- Policy brief series: linking local lessons learned
- NetZeroCities white paper
SGA – NZC
- D1.1 – Climate City Contract Annual Trends Report V1
- D1.2 – Climate City Contract Annual Trends Report V2
- D1.3 – Climate City Contract Annual Trends Report V3
- D1.4 – Climate City Contract Case Studies Anthology V1
- D1.5 – Climate City Contract Case Studies Anthology V2
- D1.6 – NetZeroCities Climate Investment Model
- D1.7 – NetZeroCities Climate Investment User Guide
- D1.8 – Assessment of the Investment Model and User Guide
- D1.9 – CCC Resource Pack 2.0
- D1.10 – CCC Resource Pack 3.0
- D1.11 – CCC Mission Label Progress Report
- D2.1 – Model for coherent implementation of work at local level
- D2.2 – Report of Mission City Support v1
- D2.3 – Report of Mission City Support v2
- D2.4 – Support Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP)
- D2.5 – Report of support needs, barriers and enablers of second wave and all cities
- D2.6 – Handbook on city support groups, thematic working groups and sprint groups
- D2.7 – Process for implementation and Delivery of New Services
- D2.8 – Methodology for scaling of services through replication and digitalisation
- D2.9 – Pilot Cities Core support allocation and matching methodology
- D2.10 – Baseline Analysis of the Current State of Climate Investment for Cities
- D2.11 – Review report on the support and services provided to Mission, Pilot and second wave Cities
- D3.2 – Pilot Cities Programme Call 1 Guidelines
- D3.3 – Pilot Cities Programme Call 2 Guidelines
- D3.4 – Pilot Cities Programme Call 3 Guidelines
- D3.5 – Overview Pilot Cities Programme Calls and in-take analysis
- D3.8 – Final Report – Pilot Cities Programme Portfolio Learning, Impact, Insights
- D4.1 – Learning vision and framework
- D4.2 – Learning vision and framework V2
- D4.3 – Year 1 Capacity and Capability Building Programme
- D4.4 – Year 2 Capacity and Capability Building Programme
- D4.5 – Year 3 Capacity and Capability Building Programme
- D4.6 – Proceedings and Lessons Learnt from Summer Schools 1 & 2
- D4.7 – Proceedings and Lessons Learnt from Summer Schools 3 & 4
- D4.8 – Mid-Project Insights Report: P2P learning for Mission and Pilot Cities
- D4.9 – Insights Report: P2P learning and sensemaking for Mission Pilot Cities
- D4.10 – Methodology and tools for GHG & economic accounting
- D4.11 – Lessons learnt from application of the Methodology and Tools for GHG and Economic Accounting
- D4.12 – Scaled twinning programme report
- D4.13 – Lessons learnt from Pilot Cities & agile city support
- D4.14 – Anticipation, Horizon Scanning & Foresight Report v1
- D4.15 – Scenarios for desirable futures
- D4.16 – Anticipation, Horizon Scanning & Foresight Report v2
- D4.17 – Recommendations from dialogues between Mission cities and EU
- D6.1 – Landscape report of net zero partnerships, initiatives and projects
- D6.2 – Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
- D6.3 – Report on signed MoUs
- D6.4 – Periodic reports on structured policy dialogue and mutual learning
- D6.5 – Report on standards for climateneutral cities
- D6.6 – Report on support frameworks for effective national networks and platforms
- D6.7 – Policy, governance labs report (end of programme)
- D7.6 – Synthesis Report the Cities Mission Capital Hub
SGA2 – NZC
- D1.1 – Non-Mission City Needs & Pathways – First Report
- D1.2 – Non-Mission City Needs & Pathways – Annual Update
- D1.3 – Non-Mission City Needs & Pathways – Second Annual Update
- D1.4 – Non-Mission City Needs & Pathways – Final Report
- D1.5 – Design of Non-Mission City Portal User Experience and Customer Journeys
- D1.6 – Summary report on new portal content for Non-Mission Cities
- D1.7 – Second Summary report on new portal content for Non-Mission Cities
- D1.8 – Non-Mission City Portal Usage & User Satisfaction Report
- D1.9 – Second Non-Mission City Portal Usage & User Satisfaction Report
- D1.10 – Gap analysis of Capability Building programme
- D1.11 – Summary report on new content for capability building
- D1.12 – Second Summary report on new content for capability building
- D1.13 – Design of Accredited Online Hybrid Course for Civil Servants
- D1.14 – Summary report on status and activity of the online peer groups
- D1.15 – Second Summary report on status and activity of the online peer groups
- D1.16 – Progress report on the study visits
- D1.17 – Second Progress report on the study visits
- D1.18 – Report on the design of the twinning programme
- D1.19 – Final report on twinning programme
- D1.20 – Gap Analysis Report and Detailed Workplan (part 1)
- D1.21 – Summary report on peer collaboration at sub-european level
- D1.22 – Second Summary report on peer collaboration at sub-european level
- D1.23 – Strategic findings of working with Non-Mission Cities – First Report
- D1.24 – Strategic findings of working with Non-Mission Cities – Updated Report
- D2.1 – Role Description of CFS
- D2.2 – City Needs assessment report
- D2.3 – Interim report specifying recommendations for tailor made IPs
- D2.4 – Final report specifying all recommendations for tailor made IPs
- D2.5 – Report on completeness check
- D2.6 – Finance Expert Support Facility Process and Governance Strategy
- D2.7 – Summary report of all completeness checks delivered for IPs
- D2.8 – Training Materials and methodology for delivery including modular breakdown
- D2.9 – Summary of CFS learnings from feedback loops in T2.2. (initial findings)
- D2.10 – Summary of CFS learnings from feedback loops in T2.2. (consolidated findings)
- D2.11 – City Finance Framework Tool
- D2.12 – Report and interim report summarising projects supported
- D2.13 – Report and interim report summarising projects developed
- D2.14 – Training materials for cities on attracting private capital
- D2.15 – Review of learnings and city feedback following workshops and roundtables
- D2.16 – Spreadsheet mapping of available public sources of capital at the EU, national and regional level
- D2.17 – Report outlining IP-compatibility with a comprehensive list of different public sources of capital
- D2.18 – Report on Connectivity Between Public Funding Options, Potential Obstacles, and offsetting Mitigation Strategies for Investment Plans Report
- D2.19 – Report summarising the need for a Special Purpose Vehicle for blended capital
- D2.20 – Report outlining IP-compatibility with a comprehensive list of different public sources of capital
- D2.21 – Spreadsheet mapping all potential private capital partners at a local, national and international level
- D2.22 – Report summarising the engagements with public and private sector sources of capital for the purpose of derisking investible opportunities
- D2.23 – Updated Spreadsheet mapping all potential private capital partners at a local, national and international level
- D2.24 – Updated Report summarising the engagements with public and private sector sources of capital for the purpose of derisking investible opportunities
- D3.1 – Governance and Proceed Strategy
- D3.2 – Data Management Plan
- D3.3 – Communication, Dissemination, & Exploitation Plan
- D3.4 – Review of City Advisor Engagement with Mission Cities
- D3.5 – Proceedings of 2025 Conference
- D3.6 – CESF Process and Governance Strategy
- D3.7 – Report on CESF Deployment
- D3.8 – Non Mission City Impact Metrics and MEL Methodology
- D3.9 – Guidance on Scope 3 Emissions
- D3.10 – Update of NZC, SGA1-NZC and SGA2-NZC Methodologies and Tools for GHG and Economic Accounting
- D3.11 – Data Management Plan Version 2
- D3.12 – Data Management Plan Version 3
- D3.13 – Data Management Plan Version 4
- D3.14 – Communication, Dissemination, & Exploitation Plan Version 2
- D3.15 – Final Report on Communication, Dissemination, & Exploitation
- D3.16 – Report on Internal Governance and Communication across WP and across NZC and SGA-NZC Grant Agreements
Publications
Ulpiani G, Vetters N, Melica G, Bertoldi P. Towards the first cohort of climate-neutral cities: expected impact, current gaps, and next steps to take to establish evidence-based zero-emission urban futures.
Sustain Cities Soc 2023;95.Ulpiani G, Vetters N, Shtjefni D, Kakoulaki G, Taylor N. Let’s hear it from the cities: on the role of renewable energy in reaching climate neutrality in urban Europe.
Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2023;183.Ulpiani G, Vetters N. On the risks associated with transitioning to climate neutrality in Europe: a city perspective.
Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2023;183Ulpiani G, Vetters N, Maduta C. Towards (net) zero emissions in the stationary energy sector: a city perspective.
Sustain Cities Soc 2023Della Valle N, Ulpiani G, Vetters N. Assessing climate justice awareness among climate neutral-to-be cities.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun 2023;10:440.Möslinger M, Ulpiani G, Vetters N. Circular economy and waste management to empower a climate-neutral urban future.
J Clean Prod 2023;421:138454.Ulpiani G, Rebolledo E, Vetters N, Florio P, Bertoldi P. Funding and financing the zero emissions journey: urban visions from the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature Journal.Bresciani, S., Tjahja, C., Komatsu, T., & Rizzo, F. (2023). Prototyping for Policy Making: Collaboratively Synthesizing Interdisciplinary Knowledge for Climate Neutrality. In: International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) Conference proceedings (pp. 104-116), Politecnico di Milano, Italy. ISBN: 9788894167436
Bresciani, S., Tjahja, C., Komatsu, T., & Rizzo, F. (2023). Social innovation for climate neutrality in cities: actionable pathways for policymakers. In De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy.
Bresciani, S., Rizzo, F., & Deserti, A. (2022). Designing Systemic Change for Urban Ecosystems: A Framework for Assessing Social Innovation. In Cumulus Conference Proceedings Series 10/2023 Detroit (pp. 779-795). USA. ISBN 979-8-218-07901-7
Bresciani, S., Rizzo, F., & Deserti, A. (2022). Toward a Comprehensive Framework of Social Innovation for Climate Neutrality: A Systematic Literature Review from Business/Production, Public Policy, Environmental Sciences, Energy, Sustainability and Related Fields. Sustainability, 14(21).
Bresciani, S. (2024). Assessment Framework for People-Centred Solutions to Carbon Neutrality: A Comprehensive List of Case Studies and Social Innovation Indicators at Urban Level. Springer Briefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer Cham. ISBN 978-3-031-53111
Mondal, R., Bresciani, S., & Rizzo, F. (2024). What Cities Want to Measure: Bottom-Up Selection of Indicators for Systemic Change toward Climate Neutrality Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 40 European Cities. Climate, 12(3), 41.
M. Ricard, F. Rizzo, S. Bresciani (2025) – Bridging research and practice in the public sector: leveraging sweet spot analysis of NetZeroCities outcomes to advance climate action in European municipalities, EDULEARN25 Proceedings, pp. 10075-10082. ISBN 978-84-09-74218-9
M. Ricard, R. Mondal, F. Rizzo, S. Bresciani, (2024) – Instruments for Implementing Systemic Change to Foster Climate Transitions in European Cities. Proceedings of the OpenLivingLab Days Conference 2024 – “Living Labs Frontiers” Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact”, 214-221. ISBN 978-94-6466-862-9
G.Doci, H. Dorst, S. Hillen, T. Tjokrodikromo (2025) – Urban transition governance in practice: exploring how European cities govern local transitions to achieve climate neutrality. Frontiers Sec. Innovation and Governance
