ActGREEN project: we participated in an interactive Collective  Sensemaking workshop

17.12.2024 | Featured, Featured, ODRAZ news, ODRAZ news

Representatives of ODRAZ and the City of Zagreb, partners in the #ActGREEN project “Activating Green Yards for Carbon Neutrality”, participated at the end of last week in an interactive CollectiveSensemaking workshop, organized by EIT Climate-KIC for pilot cities within the NetZeroCities project.

Collective Sensemaking – what do we mean by it and why is it relevant for all Pilot Cities?

Sensemaking is a structured process of understanding complex, dynamic environments to enable adaptive decision-making and action. It is a process through which people give meaning to their individual, collective and organisational experiences. It involves:

radionica kolektivnog osmišljavanja
  • Observation: Gathering detailed narratives and data from pilot activities.
  • Reflection: Deliberating on observations to discern patterns and derive meanings.
  • Pattern-Finding: Identifying trends across different narratives to guide future actions.
  • Synthesis: Integrating insights to formulate actionable intelligence, to generate real-time insights from Pilot activities as they are implemented, that support informed decisions.

In the context the EU Cities Mission to drive systems transformation towards a net-zero, climate-resilient, Collective Sensemaking plays a crucial role. For systemic interventions where there are no predetermined single sector solutions to a challenge, such as it is the case for Pilot Cities Programme (PCP) activities, it is necessary to design and operationalise processes that generate rapid and tangible insights.

A process of continuous learning is needed to reflect new knowledge and understanding as Pilot activities develop over time. Collective Sensemaking offers a way of developing a relationship with changing conditions, creating strategies that are fit for purpose, and building resilience across systems. This approach helps navigating the complexity of implementing the climate actions and accelerating systemic change.

Sensemaking as a key to constantly adapt and improve

Pilot Cities can highly benefit from facilitated conversations with other cities facing similar barriers and challenges, to make sense of these issues, understand how to best address them, and share these lessons, insights, and learnings with each other and with the Twin Cities. Collective Sensemaking is an ongoing and periodical process of accompaniment.

The primary goals of employing Collective Sensemaking in the NZC PCP are:

  • Enhanced Learning: Facilitate a shared learning environment where cities can reflect on their experiences, share successes, and identify challenges.
  • Increased Collaboration: Foster stronger relationships and collaboration among pilot cities and between pilot and twin cities.
  • Actionable Insights: Generate insights that are directly applicable to the ongoing and future climate action initiatives of the participating cities.

Collective Sensemaking: process design principles

The Sensemaking process organised by the NetZeroCities Consortium for the Pilot Cities Programme is structured around the “What – So What – Now What” sequence:

  • What? (Looking Back through Storytelling): The process starts with the observation and collection of data, information, and stories from ongoing activities. Participants focus on what is currently happening.
  • So What? (Most Significant Realisations): Participants reflect on and interpret the gathered data to identify insights and patterns. They explore the significance of emerging trends and ask why these patterns matter.
  • Now What? (Looking Ahead Reflections): Finally, the Sensemaking process moves to action-oriented learning, where teams consider the practical implications of their insights.

As Pilot Cities present their implementation progress, insights, and barriers, their Twin Cities have the opportunity to learn from the Pilot Cities’ presentations, followed by facilitated discussions.

The Collective Sensemaking is planned to be organised by NZC Consortium in three phases. The first is ‘Prepare phase’, with sessions kickstarting the Collective Sensemaking process of mutual dialogue, knowledge-sharing and peer-learning.

Two online session have featured distinct break-out rooms, each corresponding to different cluster themes, indicated by all Pilot cities. This format allow the representatives from Pilot and Twin Cities, to select and participate in discussions most relevant to their interests and challenges.

The first session was organised on November 19th, 2024 starting teh process of mutual dialogue, knowledge-sharing and peer-learning. During the first Inter-Cohort Collective Sensemaking Session on December 13th, 2024, there was also the opportunity of knowledge-sharing and mutual learning between two cohorts of Pilot and Twin Cities.

This sessions aimed to shape our collective understanding climate-neutrality impact across diverse contexts, levers and domains.

Representatives of the City of Zagreb and ODRAZ actively participated in both sessions. During the session on 13 December they participated in the work of groups that discussed the following topics:

  • Mobility, transport and decarbonatisation
  • Behavioural change, culture and mindest shift
  • Data, digital solutions and platforms
  • Communication, campaigns &awareness-raising
  • Technical Monitoring Evaluation Learning (MEL).

The work in both sessions was active and all interested parties were able to actively participate, either through the Miro Collaboration Tool or by actively engaging in group work on individual topics.

More about the project: https://www.odraz.hr/projects/all-projects/actgreen/?lang=en

Project website: actgreen.zagreb.hr

This project is funded by EIT Climate-KIC as part of the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Program, Cohort 2 (2023). The project is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or EIT Climate-KIC. Neither the European Union nor EIT Climate-KIC can be held responsible for them.

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