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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The 5th EC2U Think Tank focused on “building resilience to climate change within cities and communities”. This topic is linked to the EC2U Virtual Institute Sustainable Cities and Communities and will feed its activities.
The 2025 Think Tank aimed to:
Concrete outcomes will be:
Local EC2U Think Tank sessions are organised at each partner university, but also at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (as an Associated Partner) from February to March 2025.
Results from local sessions have been analysed and key takeaways are presented below. They will serve to design policy recommendations and propose concrete solutions to be implemented at the EC2U Alliance level but also at the European level.
The Think Tank 2025 key findings include the role of science, education and community initiatives in building climate resilience, the motivations and challenges encountered in building resilient sustainable communities as well as the important role of urban planning in promoting sustainable mobility.
These key findings led to the identification of four areas of action in which the EC2U Alliance could concretely contribute to climate change resilience.
Overall, results show that education is the fundamental key to raise awareness among the community and help citizens learn how to change their daily habits to develop a more sustainable way of living.
Science also has a crucial role to play to develop tailored solutions for cities. Collaboration with NGOs or private companies is also necessary to facilitate knowledge transfer and implement innovative solutions to real-life environments.
Community initiatives thus can be the bridge between all stakeholders, but also between education and research, by involving citizens and making them active participants in actions that aim to limit the effects of climate change or change their daily habits.
Motivations are very diverse: willingness to build a sustainable future, have a social impact, engage and empower local communities or enhance citizens’ quality of life, among others.
The results however show that despite clear motivations that span from the different stakeholder groups, lack of funding, awareness and reluctance to change limit the capacities of cities to build resilient communities.
Urban planning can play a key role in developing sustainable habits, notably in three crucial areas: efficient public transportation system, green mobility and green urban spaces.
Overall, urban planning can help implement adaptable and equitable solutions, especially for vulnerable populations.