Project results are expected to contribute to the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission’s objective of climate neutrality in at least 2 of the 4 domains listed below (Mobility, Energy, Industry, Governance) and give all the following outcomes in the selected domains by the end of the project:
Mobility:
Energy:
Industry:
Governance:
Scope: Peri-urban areas lie at the periphery of cities. They are the interface between rural and urban environments and are often the subject of high pressure from the urban core which results in an un-controlled and uneven urban expansion towards the rural territory often triggering environmental degradation. While dispersed and heterogenous in terms of landoccupancy, density and services and amenities distribution, the peri-urban territory integrates mutual inter-dependences within the urban-rural continuum. These can be associated with people (inwards and outwards migration or socio-demographic change) as well as with linkages and flows between a variety of rural and urban related functions and activities (ranging from industrial and recycling manufacturing, agriculture production and food processing, sanitation, waste disposal, drinking water provisions, to housing – including slums and gated communities – transport and associated infrastructure, large-scale commercial sites, and large recreational areas such as parks or forests), which juxtapose, collide and mesh in unintended and unplanned ways.
Peri-urban areas are also the subject of weaker governance structures and limited institutional capacity, which in return limits the capacity to regulate economic activities and land-use and land coverage and makes it difficult to implement effective and integrated local, regional, and functional urban area wide policies and programs. This is particularly challenging in areas that straddle multiple jurisdictions, such as urban-rural fringe.
This topic aims to foster the integration of green and smart mobility, energy, industry and governance solutions and measures within the current peri-urban development and planning practice to reduce these areas GHG emissions and to improve their liveability.
Proposals, depending on chosen domains, should investigate a sustainable and decarbonised development of the peri-urban areas by shifting from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources in mobility, energy or industry domains supported by adequate governance structures and practices based on a sustainable land-use planning and an urban expansion which integrates environmental considerations and determinants. In addition, proposals should provide European demonstration-type examples on how to sustainably integrate climate-neutral, green, and smart solutions and measures into the peri-urban/urban development and the existing transport, energy, and industrial infrastructures, to achieve long-term decarbonization impacts and necessary climate resilience. Activities and pilot demonstrations of technological nature of the proposed solutions in operational environment are expected to be at minimum TRL 7 by the end of the project. Positive, long-term impacts on social cohesion, economic development, and public perception – resulting in behavioural change and policy change – should be fostered and anticipated. Proposals, depending on selected domains should:
The research actions should cover the following:
Each urban/peri-urban area should establish a living laboratory where, under real life-conditions, a set of complementary and reinforcing solutions, centred on two to four aspects from the ones presented above (mobility, energy, industry, and governance) should be developed, tested, and implemented in an integrated approach. The participating urban/peri-urban areas, which may have a geographical coverage that goes as far as the full functional urban area, should demonstrate their common interests, and outline how they will ensure a meaningful and close cooperation. The periurban areas should each be situated in different EU Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe. Each proposal should at least include one urban area of the 112 selected ones for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.
To allow for a thorough evaluation of the projects’ outcomes, proposals are expected to provide measurable indicators to demonstrate how the tested solutions are contributing to the climate neutrality objectives of the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission and participating peri-urban areas. These should be supported by clear baselines, quantified targets, and appropriate review processes for each participating urban area. The baselines for the expected outcomes should take into account expected technological developments and policy implementation.
Projects are expected to collaborate with the established and widely applied process and impact evaluation framework (using both clear baselines and measurable impact indicators) as well as the corporate design, the dissemination and information exchange frameworks put in place by the Commission (e.g. the Mission Platform, the CIVITAS initiative, Scalable cities, New European Bauhaus Community, the European Urban Initiative of Cohesion Policy, etc.) and the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the EIT, such as, for example, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Culture and Creativity or EIT Food, EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change, and Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT), depending on the area. They shall contribute to the development of the existing European knowledge base on the effectiveness and impacts resulting from the implementation of innovative, sustainable, green, and inclusive solutions in urban areas.
Clear commitments and contributions to Europe-wide take-up during and beyond the project are expected, which could, for example, be in the form of follow-up actions funded by CEF, ELENA, or similar programmes.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines including ethics and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Inclusiveness of vulnerable populations (older people, children) as well as gender perspectives should be considered.