Bridging Technical Innovation and Citizen Engagement for Climate Neutrality
Published on
11/11/2025
About this challenge
Italy
Challenge description
The Municipality of Carmiano, a small town in Southern Italy, is committed to aligning its development with the European Green Deal and the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. Despite strong political will and growing public interest, Carmiano faces challenges typical of small municipalities, including limited financial resources, reduced technical capacity, and fragmented governance. These constraints make it difficult to turn strategic ambitions into coherent, long-term actions for sustainable urban development.
The main challenge is coordinating climate actions across key sectors such as energy efficiency in public buildings, sustainable land use, circular waste management, and citizen engagement. Carmiano has already launched energy retrofitting in municipal facilities, installed photovoltaic systems, and introduced regulations for low-impact use of public spaces. The municipality also collaborates with local companies to promote waste reduction and renewable energy practices. However, these actions remain isolated and need a more structured, data-driven, and participatory framework to scale up innovation and impact.
Carmiano seeks to learn from a peer city that has effectively managed climate neutrality transitions in smaller urban contexts. In particular, the municipality is interested in models of multi-level governance, sustainable financing mechanisms, and participatory approaches that actively involve citizens, schools, and local enterprises in the green transition.
Through the City-to-City Exchange and the interaction with another EU city, Carmiano aims to strengthen institutional capacity, improve technical know-how, and co-create a replicable roadmap for small municipalities pursuing climate neutrality. The goal is to make Carmiano a resilient, inclusive, and climate-ready community that integrates innovation, sustainable planning, and citizen participation into a shared long-term vision.
The main challenge is coordinating climate actions across key sectors such as energy efficiency in public buildings, sustainable land use, circular waste management, and citizen engagement. Carmiano has already launched energy retrofitting in municipal facilities, installed photovoltaic systems, and introduced regulations for low-impact use of public spaces. The municipality also collaborates with local companies to promote waste reduction and renewable energy practices. However, these actions remain isolated and need a more structured, data-driven, and participatory framework to scale up innovation and impact.
Carmiano seeks to learn from a peer city that has effectively managed climate neutrality transitions in smaller urban contexts. In particular, the municipality is interested in models of multi-level governance, sustainable financing mechanisms, and participatory approaches that actively involve citizens, schools, and local enterprises in the green transition.
Through the City-to-City Exchange and the interaction with another EU city, Carmiano aims to strengthen institutional capacity, improve technical know-how, and co-create a replicable roadmap for small municipalities pursuing climate neutrality. The goal is to make Carmiano a resilient, inclusive, and climate-ready community that integrates innovation, sustainable planning, and citizen participation into a shared long-term vision.
This city is looking for
The Municipality of Carmiano would greatly benefit from expertise and skills that strengthen its capacity to design and implement integrated strategies for climate neutrality and sustainable urban development. As a small municipality, Carmiano seeks practical knowledge and methodological support from peer cities that have successfully bridged the gap between strategic planning and implementation through cross-sectoral collaboration and innovative financing mechanisms.
We are particularly interested in learning how to establish effective governance models for coordinating environmental, social, and economic policies, as well as tools for monitoring and evaluating progress toward emission reduction and energy efficiency targets. Technical expertise in the fields of energy management systems, renewable energy integration, circular economy practices, and sustainable land use would be highly valuable.
In addition, Carmiano aims to enhance its capacity to engage citizens, schools, and local enterprises in co-creating solutions that promote behavioural change and community ownership of climate actions. Skills in participatory planning, digital engagement tools, and communication strategies for small municipalities would therefore be extremely beneficial.
By acquiring these competencies, Carmiano intends to translate its climate commitments into a coherent and inclusive roadmap, ensuring that sustainability becomes a shared responsibility and a driver for local innovation.
We are particularly interested in learning how to establish effective governance models for coordinating environmental, social, and economic policies, as well as tools for monitoring and evaluating progress toward emission reduction and energy efficiency targets. Technical expertise in the fields of energy management systems, renewable energy integration, circular economy practices, and sustainable land use would be highly valuable.
In addition, Carmiano aims to enhance its capacity to engage citizens, schools, and local enterprises in co-creating solutions that promote behavioural change and community ownership of climate actions. Skills in participatory planning, digital engagement tools, and communication strategies for small municipalities would therefore be extremely beneficial.
By acquiring these competencies, Carmiano intends to translate its climate commitments into a coherent and inclusive roadmap, ensuring that sustainability becomes a shared responsibility and a driver for local innovation.
City size
Towns (< 50,000 inhabitants)
Author
Nivethika Roy Sooriyakumar
Italy
EU project manager
Municipality of Carmiano
