Green Cities Cooperation

<< Background >>During the covid crisis we tried to arrange online meetings to discuss about technical topics but as interesting as it was we realize that a different methology would need to be applied in order for the exchanges to be more fruitful. We applied to this project because both municipalities wanted to cooperate with each other and the small-scale partnership was ideal for us. Our goal was to share good practices and learn from our partner, both cities have won in the past the European green capital title, Essen in 2016 and Grenoble in 2022, both of them are fully committed to transitions and usually lead the example for others cities yet each organization has still things to learn in order to improve and developpe new actions/projects. Agents from both cities wanted to know more about different topics and discover how things are done abroad. Grenoble is located in the heart of the french alps and effects from climate change are already visible so learning more about measures of climate change adaptation/mitigation are necessary. Essen aims to be a net-zero city by 2040 at the latest, so all the actions in terms of lowing the carbonfoot print and helping them to achieve the goal are insightful.<< Objectives >>The goal of the project was to develop competences and exchange good practices in terms of green transition between the technical staff of the city of Grenoble and the city of Essen.The specific objectifs supporting the overall objectif were:- Develop environmental competences of partners- Increasing the knowledge and skills of 30 people from the partners' staff in the field of green transitions - during the 18-month period of the project- Development/Enhancing of soft skills- Raise awareness of climate change challenges among staff- Increase green sustainability practices when organizing activities- Inspire and motivate municipal staff to implement impactful projects and policies- Developing Franco-German intercultural understanding- Enable municipal employees, who often work only locally, to draw inspiration from working models and understand critical issues (non-formal learning).<< Implementation >>Throughout the project, the following activities were carried out to achieve the project's objectives : - 2 transnational project meetings in the city of Essen: to present, discuss and exchange practices regarding climate resilient governance, energy consomption, urban farming, decontamintaing a river, from grey to green infrastructure.- 2 transnational project meetings in the city of Grenoble: to present, discuss and exchange practices regarding eco-neighborhoods, greening the city, sustainable water management, mobility, and sustainable food.- Thematic online meetings regarding urban agriculture, mobility, climate change adaptation.- A green conference (parc Pompidou Grenoble – June 2023). Sharing Perspectives: Long live nature in the city!- - Workshops and professional site visits- Project management and monitoring activities- Dissemination and communication activitiesAll the activities were based on principles and methodologies of non formal education, onsite exchanges of practices allowed to develop green skills.<< Results >>Tangible results:- Powerpoint presentations about best practices in termes of mobility, urban agriculture, air quality, climate change adapatation- Conference Sharing Perspectives: Long live nature in the city! An inside from the city of Barranquilla (Colombia), Pontevedra (Spain), Essen (Germany).- - Online album photo of the best practices to inspire and raise awareness among colleagues about more sustainable behaviour- A mind map of the mesures of each city regarding climate adaptation- A brochure was elaborated, this document identifies the best practices examples in each city, they are source of inspiration for each municipality and they could be adopted by other cities too.Intangible results:- Non-formal education of 50 public agents- Developpement/Increased of soft skills of 40 adults- Improved/reinforce cooperation capacities of the project partners- Increased sustainability competences/green skills of 30 adults- Increased awareness of public agents regarding green tranisition - Reinforce cooperation with territorial actors