Bordeaux's Pilot City Activity: ABCD for Acting By Collaborating Differently
Background
The Acting By Collaborating Differently (ABCD) pilot activity is designed to address pressing challenges within the local context of Bordeaux. With a focus on climate urgency, the initiative seeks to foster collaboration between researchers, citizens, local stakeholders and public decision-makers. By tackling specific issues identified by societal players through a cross-disciplinary and participatory approach, the ABCD pilot activity aims to drive impactful change.
Key barriers and challenges include the need to disseminate knowledge effectively, strengthen metropolitan involvement to encourage citizen participation and address the complex issues of sustainability faced by cities and communities. The pilot aims to overcome these challenges by leveraging partnerships with universities, local associations, and knowledge dissemination networks.
Through annual events like Les Rencontres des Transitions, the initiative offers a platform for sharing lessons learned and best practices, facilitating the adoption of innovative methodologies by third parties.
Overall, the ABCD pilot activity aligns with climate commitments and aim to act as a catalyst for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable practices in areas such as energy transition, waste reduction, and sustainable mobility.
Description of Activities
The focus of the ABCD pilot is to implement innovative approaches for addressing climate urgency through cross-disciplinary collaboration. Planned activities include organising annual events like “Rencontre des Transitions” to facilitate knowledge exchange, mobilising metropolitan involvement to enhance citizen participation, disseminating project outcomes through various channels, and providing methodological documents and workshops to aid adoption by third parties. Additionally, the activities involve establishing partnerships with universities, local players, and decision-makers, aiming to develop sustainable solutions for energy transition, waste reduction, and sustainable mobility.
Objective
To foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers, citizens, local stakeholders, and decision-makers to address climate urgency, drive impactful change, and promote sustainable practices in Bordeaux and other EU cities.
Are the pilot activities building upon or part of a previous and/or existing activity?
The pilot builds upon previous and existing activities by leveraging the foundation laid by “Les Rencontres des Transitions” an annual event initiated in 2022. This established platform has facilitated dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders, laying the groundwork for the pilot’s expanded scope. Additionally, the transition hubs expand upon existing community engagement efforts by providing dedicated spaces for interaction and idea exchange. The participatory research methodologies build upon ongoing initiatives to engage citizens in addressing societal challenges, while the knowledge dissemination centres enhance existing efforts to share best practices and resources. By drawing from these foundations, the pilot aims to amplify the impact of existing activities and programmes, fostering greater collaboration and innovation towards carbon neutrality.
Which emissions domains will the pilot activities address?
Systemic transformation – levers of change the pilot activities will exploit
Stakeholder types that the city would like to engage in the pilot activities
Transferable features of the pilot activities to a Twin City/ies
- Initiating annual events similar to “Les Rencontres des Transitions” in other cities to facilitate dialogue and project development among stakeholders.
- Creating transition hubs modelled after those planned in Bordeaux, providing dedicated spaces for stakeholder interaction and knowledge exchange.
- Implementing participatory research methodologies to engage citizens in addressing societal challenges across different cities, ensuring inclusivity and diverse perspectives.
- Setting up knowledge dissemination centres inspired by Bordeaux’s approach to share best practices, resources, and knowledge related to climate action and transition efforts.
- Organising training sessions and knowledge sharing events similar to those planned in Bordeaux, aimed at inspiring and empowering stakeholders in other cities to contribute effectively to the transition.
This answer is not exhaustive and simply an indicative one.
Enabling conditions that will support the successful replication of your pilot activities in the Twin City
- Partners interested and mobilised by the project (local authorities, universities, key accounts, etc.)
- A common topic that unites partners and motivates them to work together to find and implement solutions for the transition of society.
- Willingness to collaborate and develop partnerships. A need to decompartmentalise activities and search for transition solutions.
This answer is not exhaustive and simply an indicative one.
What does the city want to learn from Twin City/ies?
- How to engage local stakeholders to significantly accelerate existing cooperation dynamics and create multiplier effects in favour of the transition and the carbon neutrality objective.
- How to create favourable conditions for collaboration between all the partners on the territory to act in favour of transition.
- How to share knowledge and best practices from stakeholders in ecological transition community and give access to the civil society to empower them.
This answer is not exhaustive and simply an indicative one.
