D10.8: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of ...

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D10.8: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of +CityxChange project results 3 +CityxChange | Work Package 10, Task 10.1 Final delivery date: 31-10-2020 Deliverable version v.03 Dissemination level Public Authors Sindi Haxhija (ISOCARP Institute); Tjark Gall (ISOCARP Institute) Contributors Dirk Ahlers (NTNU); Giulia Carbonari (R2M); Javier Buron (COL) Article 29.5 Disclaimer This deliverable contains information that reflects only the authors’ views and the European Commission/INEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 824260.

Transcript of D10.8: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of ...

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D10.8: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of +CityxChange project 

results 3  +CityxChange | Work Package 10, Task 10.1 

 Final delivery date: 31-10-2020 

   

    

Deliverable version  v.03 

Dissemination level  Public 

Authors  Sindi Haxhija (ISOCARP Institute); Tjark Gall           (ISOCARP Institute) 

Contributors  Dirk Ahlers (NTNU); Giulia Carbonari (R2M);           Javier Buron (COL) 

  Article 29.5 Disclaimer This deliverable contains information that reflects only the authors’ views and the European                         Commission/INEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. 

 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and                         innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 824260.   

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Document Information Project Acronym  +CityxChange 

Project Title  Positive City ExChange 

Project Coordinator  Annemie Wyckmans, Norwegian University of Science and Technology 

Project Duration  1 November 2018-31 October 2023 

Deliverable Number 

D10.8: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of +CityxChange project results                   3 

Dissemination Level 

PU-Public 

License  CC-BY4.0 Creative Commons Attribution, except where otherwise noted.               https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Status  Completed 

Due Date  31-10-2020 

Work Package  WP10 – Dissemination and Communication 

Lead Beneficiary  ISOCARP 

Contributing Beneficiaries 

Limerick City & County Council (LCCC); Mesto Pisek (MP); Municipality of Alba                       Iulia (MAI); Sestao Berri (SB); Obshtina Smolyan (SMO); Trondheim kommune                   (TK); Võru Linnavalitsus (VORU); Norwegian University of Science and                 Technology (NTNU); R2M Solutions (R2M) 

 

Revision History 

Date  Version  Author  Substantive changes made 

22-04-2020  v.01  Tjark Gall Revision of previous 

version & new additions 

31-08-2020  v.02  Tjark Gall, Sindi Haxhija  Update of sections 

30-09-2020  v.02  Sindi Haxhija  Version for initial QA 

14-10-2020  v.03  Sindi Haxhija  Edits based on comments from QA 

       

       

       

   

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Table of Contents  Table of Contents  2 

List of Acronyms  3  

1 Executive Summary 5 

2 Introduction 7 

3 Objectives 8 3.1 Goals 8 

4 Context analysis 9 4.1 Internal context 9 4.2 External context – embedded in H2020 10 

4.2.1 Related policies 11 4.2.2 Main keywords and definitions 12 

4.3 Example references 14 4.4 Target audience 17 

4.4.1 Local audiences 18 4.4.2 Broader community of practice 19 

4.5 SWOT 20 

5 Strategy 21 5.1 Gearbox 21 5.2 Local involvement and contribution to project outcome 22 5.3 Communication round table & peer-system 24 5.4 Local Communication Strategies 24 5.5 Scientific dissemination 25 

5.5.1 Targeted journals (selection) 26 5.5.2 Targeted conferences / scientific events 27 5.5.3 Deliverables and projects outputs 27 

5.6 Tracking and monitoring of communication & dissemination activities 29 5.7 Phasing of the strategy during the project 30 

6 Organisation 31 6.1 Organogram 31 6.2 Quality assessment 32 

7 Means, Delivery method 33 7.1 Means related to the communication goals 33 7.2 Project website 34 

7.2.1 Targeted audience 35 7.2.1.1 User experience 1: General public 36 7.2.1.2 User experience 2: Academia 36 

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7.2.1.3 User experience 3: Public sector 36 7.2.1.4 User experience 4: Private sector 36 7.2.1.5 User experience 5: EU-wide Smart City/H2020 community 37 

7.2.2 Audience Tracking & Analysis 37 7.2.3 News on website 39 

7.2.4 Upcoming development 40 7.3 Social media 40 

7.3.1 Twitter 40 7.3.2 YouTube 41 

7.4 Newsletters 42 7.5 Materials 43 

7.5.1 Leaflets (city-specific and extended) 44 7.5.2 Animation 46 7.5.3 Other materials 47 

7.6 Supporting Tools 47 7.6.1 Visual identity 47 7.6.2 Templates 48 7.6.3 Infographics 49 7.6.4 Glossary 50 7.6.5 Outreach, partnerships & media channels 50 

7.6.5.1 International Media 52 7.6.5.2 Local Media 52 

7.6.6 Press Corner 54 7.6.7 Continuous public relations work and tracking 56 

8 Other Activities 57 8.1 Learning Workshops 57 8.2 Climathons 58 8.3 Master classes 58 8.4 Storytelling Workshops 58 8.5 International conferences, papers and scientific articles 59 8.6 The Final Project Report and Final Project Event 61 8.7 Other activities which include engagement and communication 61 

9 Conclusion 63 

10 References 64  

   

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List of Acronyms 

 CTA  Call to Action 

DoA  Description of Action 

DP  Demonstration Project 

DPEB  Distributed Positive Energy Block 

Dxy  Deliverable xy 

EERA  European Energy Research Alliance 

EIP-SCC  European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities 

EMaaS  Electric Mobility as a Service 

EU  European Union 

FAQ  Frequently Asked Questions 

FC  Follower City 

H2020  Horizon 2020 

INEA  Innovation and Networks Executive Agency 

ISOCARP  International Society of City and Regional Planners 

JP  Joint Programme 

KPI  Key Performance Indicator 

LCCC  Limerick City and County Council 

LHC  LightHouse City 

M&E  Monitoring & Evaluation 

Mxy  Month xy 

NTNU  Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet (eng.: Norwegian University of Science and Technology) 

OECD  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 

P4CA  Planners for Climate Action 

PC  Project Coordinator 

PED  Positive Energy District 

PERT  Program Evaluation Review Technique 

PR  Public Relations 

QA  Quality Assurance 

R2M  R2M Solution – From Research to Market 

RES  Renewable Energy Systems 

SCIS  Smart Cities Information System 

SET  Strategic Energy Technology 

SWOT  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats 

TK  Trondheim Kommune (eng.: Trondheim Municipality) 

Txy  Task xy 

UI  User Interface 

UL  University of Limerick 

UPAT  Urban Planning Advisory Teams 

WP  Work Package 

YPP  Young Planning Professionals 

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1 Executive Summary This document is a revised version of D10.1: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of                           +CityxChange project results and D10.6: Plan for dissemination and exploitation of                     1

+CityxChange project results , which provides the framework for dissemination and                   2

exploitation activities of the +CityxChange project (connected to Task 10.1: Communication                     and Dissemination Management). This document is revised annually and supersedes the                     previous version. It is composed of 1) the outline of the communication goals; 2) the                             context in which the goals have to be implemented; 3) the formulation of a strategy and a                                 detailed plan; 4) the organisation, tasks and roles; and 5) the means or delivery channels.                             Additional to smaller adaptations to the first version, it integrates elements from D10.2:                         Consortium identity and templates , D10.3: Project website and social media , D10.4: Project                       3 4

leaflet in local languages , D10.5: List of targeted media and partnerships , as well as D10.7:                             5 6

Press kits about the project for each city , and D9.6: Report on storytelling and clustering events                               7 8

and its revised second version submitted also in month 24.    Furthermore, the deliverable provides an overview of the communication activities of the                       first two years, the achieved outreach through different channels, and a compilation of the                           preparatory internal and external activities which aim at supporting the further process of                         communicating and disseminating the project and its progress and outcomes.   The target audiences of the communication have been divided into two clusters: 

1. Local audiences and stakeholders in the +CityxChange cities; 2. The broader community of practise, research, governance. 

  Based upon the goals and the context a strategy is formulated. The strategy itself is short                               and concise and includes three elements:  

● Gearbox for embedment into a wider community of practice. This is how the project                           will address the broader community of practise; 

● Local involvement. This is about communication at city level and the contribution of                         engagement to the research project. The cities will form a roundtable or learning                         community to exchange best practises; 

● Tracking and monitoring. This is to measure the reach and impact of engagement                         and communication. 

  The goal of the communication activities will change over the course of the project: first to inform, then to engage to collect and validate, then knowledge transfer and finally                             dissemination of result. A wide scope of means will be used as delivery methods. The                             

1 D10.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/dissemination-plan-01/ 2 D10.6 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/dissemination-plan-2/ 3 D10.2 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/visual-identity/ 4 D10.3 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/project-website-and-social-media/ 5 D10.4 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/project-leaflets-local-languages/ 6 D10.5 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/list-targeted-media-and-partnerships/ 7 D10.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/press-kits/ 8 D9.6 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/storytelling-report-1/ 

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means are integrated across multiple work packages to support and reinforce the project                         and maximise the impact of its outcomes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the                             ongoing and planned activities had to be adapted in their format and moved in many cases                               to the virtual environment, while others were postponed. While this did not reduce the                           overall outreach, it is partially reflected in the communication and dissemination reporting.                       Furthermore, an additional investment for online webinar tools as part of WP10 was                         needed to allow for more regular and professional online event organisation. 

   

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2 Introduction This document describes the development, implementation and regular update of the plan                       for the dissemination, marketing and exploitation of the +CityxChange progress and                     outcomes which contributes to the fulfilment of Task 10.1: Communication and Dissemination                       Management. The plan builds on the previous deliverables of WP10 and includes relevant                         elements of preceding deliverables, such as the visual identity (see also Task 10.2: Project                           identity, website and social media channels), the project website and social media channels, as                           well as produced info materials. This approach is chosen as this planning document is seen                             as the central compilation of different activities and sub-tasks of the overall Task 10.1:                           Communication and Dissemination Management, and is the only deliverable in the                     communication task which is annually updated, extended, and adapted. 

This update includes a revised version of Section 5, Communication and Dissemination                       Strategy, by reviewing and updating numbers and figures in all elements that compose the                           strategy, as well as, adding one extra section, (5.5), which is describing more in detail how                               the scientific dissemination is done. Elements that have been added to this section, namely,                           targeted journals, targeted conferences, deliverables and project outputs, give an overview                     of the scientific events and materials used to expand the scope of the project scientific                             dissemination.  

Additionally, it details the target audiences and an analysis of channels and means of                           reaching them. More interactive elements are planned for and described on the project                         website section, 7.2. These include KPI dashboards such as the MERT (Monitoring and                         Evaluation Reporting Tool) which is already online but not publicly promoted yet, as well as                             3D visualisations resulting from the work on Decision Support Systems (DST). These tools                         will be integrated inon the project website. Additionally, this report contains an updated                         version of all outreach activities, including social media channels, YouTube channel,                     trimonthly newsletters, newsposts. We give an overview of the profile of +CityxChange                       website audience since the formal launch. This analytical reporting (7.2.2) is an update on                           numbers that have been extracted over the period November 2019 - September 2020. 

Furthermore, Section 8 includes an overview of activities related to dissemination,                     marketing and exploitation that have been undertaken and those still planned. The report                         also details the monthly online strategic communication meetings with local dissemination                     managers of the LHCs and FCs as well as the activities of the local dissemination managers                               identifying relevant local events which can be exploited for communication of +CityxChange                       results and activities and updates of cities’ local websites and social media channels in                           English as well as local languages.   

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3 Objectives This plan for dissemination and exploitation is an umbrella for all activities of the                           +CityxChange project which involves communication. This document has a clear structure:  

1. Outline of the communication goals; 2. context in which the goals have to be implemented; 3. formulation of a strategy and a detailed plan;  4. organisation, tasks and roles; 5. means. 

  This document is revised annually and thereby continuously updated. That means that this                         second version is an updated version of the outline of the workflow and plan which was                               created in month 3 and is subject to updates. The plan leads to actions, the impact of these                                   actions is measured and generates a feedback loop, and the plan will be revised and                             updated again. It is thereby not an extensive fixed strategy, but an agile workflow. 

3.1 Goals  The following objectives are defined:  

● To define and manage a clear and comprehensive plan for dissemination and                       exploitation of +CityxChange project results. This first goal is an internal objective; the coordination of external communication                       within the project consortium. It includes building a strong brand, the                     implementation of a visual identity, communication guidelines and ensuring that                   information flows effectively, and dissemination is coordinated internally.  

● To actively brand and communicate the project at local level in cooperation with                         local dissemination managers.  This second goal addresses the role of communication in the cities and their regions                           and the innovation project itself. The degree of stakeholder engagement (including                     citizens) is vital in the creation and execution of the innovation project and the                           quality of its outcome. Cooperation with local dissemination managers is therefore                     very important.  

● To widely share and promote project results through targeted dissemination                   activities using appropriate media and tools. This third and last goal is related to dissemination of the results and the                           embedment into the broader community of practice, research, policy, and related                     projects and initiatives. The impact of the project is scaled up to national and                           EU-levels. European Smart City and energy events, project collaborations, Expos,                   and scientific conferences will ensure engagement with the project approaches on                     different levels. 

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4 Context analysis To develop a context-considerate strategy, it is necessary to give an outline of the context in                               which the communication goals have to be achieved. This chapter is not a strategy or                             conclusion, but an inventory framework in which the project has to operate.   The context is composed of three elements, namely the internal context, the external                         context and the target audiences/stakeholders/end-users who will be involved. The context                     analysis ends with a SWOT analysis, which is the input for the strategy formulated in Section                               5. 

4.1 Internal context The internal context includes all partners in the project consortium. This team has the                           following characteristics:  

● Collaboration via Google Drive, Slack, Skype, mail, phone and physical meetings; ● Spoken language is English; ● Core team of active people who collaborate since the start of the proposal; a                           

‘second generation’ of team members who joined in when the project was granted,                         a third generation which joined during the first year, as well as colleagues which                           contribute only for a short term to the project; 

● The degree of knowledge on the subject matter varies. It is important to develop a                             common understanding of keywords, definitions and project goals; 

● The project is structured into 11 work packages (WP) and internal/external                     communication runs across all of them. Especially WP4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 will be                                 active in communication. 

 

 Fig. 1: PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) diagram of the overall WP structure, developed by +CityxChange  

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4.2 External context – embedded in H2020 The outlines of the call are a good point of departure for an analysis of the external context.                                   For this report the focus is not on the translation of objectives into outcomes (that is the                                 project setup written down in the Description of Action/DoA) but an understanding of the                           themes and topics and how to communicate them. From the call text (European                         Commission 2017) the following parts are relevant: 

Specific Challenge: The COP21 Paris Agreement recognizes the role of cities and calls on them to rapidly                             reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. The EU is committed                         to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including                 Sustainable Development Goal 11 ("Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and                   sustainable"). Many forward-looking cities have set themselves climate goals whose                   achievement rests on wide scale roll out of highly integrated and highly efficient                         energy systems.  To achieve the necessary energy transition in cities, it is essential to increase energy                           systems integration and to push energy performance levels significantly beyond the                     levels of current EU building codes and to realize Europe wide deployment of Positive                           Energy Districts by 2050[1]. This call will also contribute to the specific objectives of the SET Plan action 3.2 -                               Smart cities and communities - focusing on positive-energy blocks/districts[2].   Scope: Integrated innovative solutions for Positive Energy Blocks/Districts will be developed                   and tested and performance-monitored in the Lighthouse Cities. Projects will                   consider the interaction and integration between the buildings, the users and the                       larger energy system as well as implications of increased electro-mobility, its impact                       on the energy system and its integration in planning.  Lighthouse Cities will closely collaborate with the Fellow Cities[3] and should act as                         exemplars helping to plan and initiate the replication of the deployed solutions in the                           Fellow cities, adapted to different local conditions.  As a sustainable energy transition will see increased electro-mobility, its impact on the                         energy system needs to be understood and well-integrated in planning. (…) To increase impact beyond the demonstration part of the project, each Lighthouse                       City and Fellow City will develop, together with industry, its own bold city-vision for                           2050[5]. The vision should cover urban, technical, financial and social aspects. Each                       vision should come with its guide for the city on how to move from planning to                               implementation, to replication and scaling up of successful solutions. (…)   

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Projects should also deliver: ● Effective business models for sustainable solutions; ● Practical recommendations arising from project experience on: 

○ regulatory, legal aspects and data security/protection; ○ gender and socio-economics (Social Sciences and Humanities); ○ storage solutions (from short-term to seasonal); ○ big data, data management and digitalization; ○ electro-mobility: i) its impact on the energy system and ii) appropriate                     

city planning measures to support large scale roll-out (…)   Expected Impact: Projects should contribute to: 

● Meeting EU climate mitigation and adaptation goals and national and/or local                     energy, air quality and climate targets, as relevant; 

● Significantly increased share of i) renewable energies, ii) waste heat recovery                     and iii) appropriate storage solutions (including batteries) and their integration                   into the energy system and iv) reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

● Lead the way towards wide scale roll out of Positive Energy Districts; ● Significantly improved energy efficiency, district level optimized             

self-consumption, reduced curtailment; ● Increased uptake of e-mobility solutions; ● Improved air quality. ● The higher the replicability of the solutions across Europe, the better. 

From this text the policy context can be derived at EU level, as well as the most important                                   keywords and definitions. This is done in the following paragraphs. 

4.2.1 Related policies Listing the related policies has a clear goal. If the project is communicated in the future to                                 local stakeholders, it is necessary to include ‘the why’. Why does my city want to make my                                 building block energy-positive? Why do they ask me to invest in technology? Etc. These are                             justified questions when the municipality proposes significant interventions in the built                     environment.   Policies are one of the most important means to address societal goals, as only a few                               stakeholders operate by intrinsic ideals. Therefore, policies are an important element in the                         storyline to communicate the project to stakeholders. This can get shaped into a message                           with the format <policy> <project> <intervention>, for example, ‘because my city wants to                         be energy neutral in 2050, the +CityxChange project proposes to install PV panels in my                             building block’.   The relevance of policies for communication can be found in the demonstration projects                         where local stakeholders are engaged. It is necessary to come up with an easy to                             understand storyline, which has to be developed together with the WP3-6 partners and the                           

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local communication managers, who can explain it in local language. A glossary of terms are                             developed in the project and will support dissemination.   For EU level the policies have been explored and listed below, aligned with the Description                             of Action (+CityxChange 2018b, pp. 12-14). These form the background of the overall                         project ambition and also show relevant areas and fora for dissemination at different policy                           and technical entities:   

1. The COP21 Paris Agreement 2. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 3. Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation (European Commission 2016) 4. The Integrated SET Plan, including the 100 PEDs by 2025 ambition (European                       

Commission 2015). 5. EU 2050 energy transition 6. EIP SCC Action Clusters 7. Amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, COM (2016) 765, 30.11.2016,                   

2016/0381 8. EU Winter Package 9. Energy Roadmap 2050, COM (2011) 885 Final, 15.12.2011 10. A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030, COM                             

(2014) 15 final, 22.1.2014 11. ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’, COM (2016) 860 Final 30.11.2016 12. Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation, COM(2016) 763 Final, 30.11.2016 

  The national and local policy context were further analysed for the different +CityxChange                         cities in D3.1: Support Framework for Bold City Vision, Guidelines, and Incentive Schemes . That                           9

report examines existing policies in the respective cities. Overall policies are also linked to                           direct fora and venues for the inter-project collaboration in WP9 and respective European                         networks, working groups, and institutions are further discussed in D9.1: Framework for                       intra-project collaboration and subsequent reports. 10

4.2.2 Main keywords and definitions For communication is it important to develop easy to understand messages. We will                         interact with many stakeholders including citizens. It is therefore vital to explore the main                           keywords and to translate them in local language to words and sentences which are                           accessible. The word ‘smart cities’ is a good example of a container definition which has a                               certain meaning to experts, and is assumed to be understood by everybody, but can be                             unclear to citizens.       

9 D3.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/framework-for-bold-city-vision-guidelines- and-incentive-schemes/ 10 D9.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/framework-for-intra-project-collaboration 

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From the call for proposal text the following main keywords are derived: ● sustainable cities ● energy transition  ● energy efficiency ● positive energy blocks [definition below] ● smart cities ● electro-mobility and e-mobility solutions ● renewable energies ● waste heat recovery ● storage solutions ● co-creation ● citizen engagement 

  A positive energy block is defined by the EU Smart Cities and Communities call (European                             Commission 2017) as: 

Positive Energy Blocks/Districts consist of several buildings (new, retrofitted or                   a combination of both) that actively manage their energy consumption and the                       energy flow between them and the wider energy system.    Positive Energy Blocks/Districts have an annual positive energy balance. They                   make optimal use of elements such as advanced materials, local RES, local                       storage, smart energy grids, demand-response, cutting edge energy               management (electricity, heating and cooling), user interaction/involvement             and ICT.   Positive Energy Blocks/Districts are designed to be an integral part of the                       district/city energy system and have a positive impact on it. Their design is                         intrinsically scalable, and they are well embedded in the spatial, economic,                     technical, environmental and social context of the project site. 

In short: (1) a collection of buildings which (2) have an annual positive energy balance and                                 are (3) well embedded in the city.   A longer glossary or definition of terms is developed as part of multiple Work Packages. It is                                 unclear if the keywords and definitions have a consistent meaning across countries and in                           different languages. This is a concern when communicating with stakeholders.  The strategy to address this issue is that (a) WP leader ISOCARP developed a general text                               with a description of the project which is regularly updated, and which (b) is translated by                               local dissemination managers. In the process of translation, the precise wording and                       meaning of the keywords will be discussed. Furthermore, the need for a clear and                           commonly shared and agreed upon glossary became further evident during the first year of                           the project. This is further detailed in 7.7.4.   

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Based upon the policy framework and the keywords, a key message has been developed,                           which will be used as subtitles close to the logo of the project, as well as quote on business                                     cards, the website, and other material: 

+CityxChange: Co-creating Positive Energy Districts, with Integrated Planning               and Design, a Common Energy Market & CommunityxChange. 

4.3 Example references Similar projects and best practices have been explored to understand how other projects                         shaped their visual communication, infographics, website structure, etc. The list of smart                       city projects is quite extensive. A few examples are:   

1. The Innovation and networks executive agency (INEA) is an online portal listing all                         H2020 funded projects, organized by topic. The projects under the themes ‘Smart                       Cities & Communities’,‘Grids & Storage, Energy Systems’ and ‘Social Dimension of                     Energy’ have been explored. Our strategy is to use these projects as reference                         points and knowledge network for dissemination. 

  

 Fig. 2: INEA website 

  2. The European innovation partnership on smart cities and communities (EIP-SCC). It                     

is an initiative supported by the European Commission that brings together cities,                       industry, small business, banks, research and others. The EIP-SCC is a good example                         of an EU-driven network of practitioners and a gateway to many similar projects.  

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 Fig. 3: EIP SCC website   

3. The EIP-SCC Marketplace is the platform where the Smart Cities and Communities                       which are part of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-SCC) exchange                   knowledge. It includes case studies, toolkits, events, etc. It does not seem useful to                           replicate the same functionality on our project website, but rather connect both                       well. 

  

 Fig. 4: EIP-SCC Marketplace   

4. The EU Smart Cities Information System (SCIS) website, which will be maintained to                         inform in detail about the project, its cities, and demos. This will further collect                           regular M&E reporting and lessons learned.  

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 Fig. 4: The EU Smart Cities Information System website for +CityxChange  11

  5. The Multitouch tool has been developed by the SCC01 projects for a common,                         

interactive representation of the different projects and their Lighthouse and                   Follower Cities. It is used at exhibitions and events and allows visitors to explore the                             different projects and cities. +CityxChange project data has been added and will                       continuously be updated. 

 Fig. 5: Screenshot of the Multitouch tool interface   

11 Available at: https://smartcities-infosystem.eu/sites-projects/projects/cityxchange 

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6. In the development process of the communication plan many project websites have                       been explored. The websites were used as a point of reference when the outlines                           for the +CityxChange website were formulated in month three to six. The lessons                         learned from the project websites are:  

1. Many websites are developed from ‘inside-out’, following the structure of a                     project. Our point of departure should be the user experience/customer                   journey. The project also uses 11 Demo Projects for conceptual organisation,                     which can make communication easier at a later stage. 

2. This means that all digital products (like Wikis and Dashboards) should not                       be presented as stand-alone items, but as embedded items on subdomains                     with a consistent visual identity – as one continuous experience. 

3. The majority of websites advertise and inform about a project. The call to                         action (CTA) to visitors is not always clear. There are many pages without                         CTA, just as an outlet of information. The UI should be designed based upon                           CTAs. 

4. The consistency of the quality of photos and graphics varies. Animation and                       interaction is difficult to achieve but positively influences understanding and                   further interaction with the website. 

5. The consistency of information presentation is not always clear. A consistent                     information architecture and structure should ensure clear interactions. The                 approach to this is further detailed in section 7.2 and more extensively in                         D10.3: Project website and social media . 12

4.4 Target audience During the proposal stage of the project, an overview of the target audiences was created                             (fig. 6) which formed the basis for the target audience analysis in the initial dissemination                             and exploitation plan and simultaneously acts as the foundation of the following                       compilation of target audiences.  

 Fig. 6: Stakeholder matrix, source: +CityxChange (2018b, p. 101)  

12 D10.3 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/project-website-and-social-media/ 

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Building upon the general classification of the target audiences, two categories were                       developed:  

A. Local audiences and stakeholders in the +CityxChange cities. B. The broader community of practice, research, governance. 

 These two categories are further detailed below. 

4.4.1 Local audiences The first category, the local audience, includes the relevant stakeholders of the                       +CityxChange cities who are either (1) partner, contributor, or stakeholder involved in                       creating and implementing the project, (2) occupy the area of the positive energy block or                             (3) are or can get otherwise involved in the co-creation of positive energy districts and                             blocks.  This primarily includes:  

1. Core partners: the +CityxChange project partners and associated stakeholders 2. Direct involved: local stakeholders, home owners, landlords, housing associations,                 

users of the area, etc. 3. Indirect local context: the business community, experts, energy companies, etc. 

 

 Fig. 7: Principle of the local stakeholder map (reiterated from D10.1)  Because of the differences of the local projects, tailored approaches are crucial. It is                           important to develop an extensive understanding of who the involved stakeholders in the                         local context are. Therefore, the local dissemination managers develop currently an                     inventory of local target audiences in the form of a stakeholder map. These will further                             guide the communication and dissemination activities. Below, an example of Trondheim                     Kommune is shown. 

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 Fig. 8. Local stakeholder map of Trondheim, developed by Trondheim Kommune 

4.4.2 Broader community of practice Additional to the local audience, the second category includes stakeholders which are                       relevant in the international context of the project:   

(a) Other urban authorities: local councils and municipalities. These can, in addition to                       standard local media channels in the national context, be accelerated through city                       networks such as the Covenant of Mayors, Eurocities, ICLEI, etc. It also includes                         formal and informal relations and networks the cities already have, such as national                         and cross-national city and smart city networks, regional networks, national                   organisations of municipalities, the H2020 SCC1 Smart Cities and Communities                   network, etc. 

(b) Experts in energy, mobility and smart cities, like technology and service providers:                       Renewable Energy Service provider, storage technology, small and medium-sized                 enterprises in the energy management sector, energy service companies, green                   technology companies, the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry,               etc. Additional to sector-specific media outlets, these stakeholder groups can be                     reached through networks of practitioners such as the ISOCARP (International                   Society of City and Regional Planners) network, research networks, as well as                       distribution systems operators, transport authorities, developers and investors               (banks, loan/funding institutions, investment companies, venture capitalists, etc.               These will also be considered within the bankability and replication tasks) 

(c) Market Influencers: EU institutions, EIP, ERRIN, World Green Building Council,                   national and international planning bodies, policymakers, think tanks such as the                     

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Urban Agenda Partnerships, or umbrella initiatives like P4CA (Planners for Climate                     Action), etc. 

4.5 SWOT A SWOT-analysis confronts the strengths and weaknesses of the project (internal) with the                         opportunities and threats of the context of implementation (external). The goal of this                         SWOT is to identify risks and opportunities at an early stage and to anticipate in the                               strategy.   

Strengths  Weaknesses  Opportunities  Threats 

- communication is     well integrated with     all work packages - open by default       policy makes   exploitation of   results easier - +CityxChange cities     are all small and       medium sized cities     so large replication     potential is possible 

- small and medium       sized cities may     have limited   capacities to finance     and implement   additional engagement at the     demonstrator sites - language barriers     in communication   and definitions - the project has       many technical   details which are     rather complicated   and a challenge to       communicate clearly 

- turn the cities into         a learning   community - use   communication not   just as   dissemination but   contribute to   research itself - involve citizens into       a complex process - test the     communication material in WP8 and       WP9, before large     scale exploitation 

- cross case     comparability can be     low in small and       medium sized cities - cities have too       varying speeds of     implementation - other small and       medium sized cities     are not well     connected to   international knowledge networks - Further threats are       elaborated in D11.3     Risk Mitigation   Registry 

  To conclude it is most important to build a well functioning learning community within the                             +CityxChange cities. That is a prerequisite for contributing to the development itself and the                           knowledge transfer to other cities in a later stage. While this has happened between some                             partners and the Lighthouse Cities, the stage on many project constituents is still in the                             preparatory phase and primarily focused on the development of guidelines, frameworks,                     and underlying analysis. This, in combination with the slower project development in the                         Follower Cities, challenges the communication internally as well as externally and has to be                           addressed further. Some of the strategies to do so are described in the next chapter.   

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5 Strategy Based upon the previous sections, a strategy is formulated. The strategy itself is short and                             concise and includes three elements:    

● Gearbox for embedment into wider community of practice ● Local involvement & contribution to research outcome ● Tracking and monitoring of communication & dissemination activities 

5.1 Gearbox The context analysis showed the main innovation topics of the project. These topics are                           widely studied across Europe. That means first of all that the project has, especially in its                               first phase, no unique knowledge position. Or to phrase it differently, we cannot expect                           people to come to us. We aim to become one of the forerunners on positive energy blocks,                                 but we have to reach out to share the results and transfer knowledge to other (small and                                 medium-sized) cities and practitioners.    An appropriate strategy is to look at it like a gearbox with multiple interlocking gears                             reinforcing each other’s movements: the EU and national policies, other EIP-SCC projects,                       and existing city networks like the Covenant of Mayors, etc. as defined above. We can ‘stand                               on shoulders’: use the existing knowledge and networks as a point of departure and build                             upon that. For dissemination and exploitation that means that we do not expect all target                             audiences to come to us; we will frequently have to reach out to their networks and their                                 events to profit from their coverage. This increases embedment and knowledge transfer of                         the project.   For this we composed an overview of networks of practitioners. Included are for example                           the large network of ISOCARP in 85+ countries, the cities who joint the Covenant of Mayors,                               the European Green Leaf Award cities (which all have 20.000-100.000 inhabitants and are                         thereby comparable with the +CityxChange cities) and the networks of the universities in                         our partnership. A list of media channels was prepared in D10.5: List of targeted media and                               partnerships (M6) as well as an event calendar. All partners are listing attended events in a                               13

shared spreadsheet, which makes it able to reflect and steer (geographical spread, type of                           audience, size of events, etc.). Thus the attended events will be aligned with the target                             audiences.   Extending the dissemination of project work and outcomes, WP8 includes a framework for                         exploitation. Exploitation means knowledge transfer to the wider community of practise, to                       ensure that the results produced by the project are utilised in further activities and create                             positive impacts. The analysis and management of exploitable results is currently under                       development as part of the WP8 activities. The +CityxChange exploitation strategy has                       started with the identification of the project results and exploitation managers for each of                           

13 D10.5 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/list-targeted-media-and-partnerships/ 

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them which will work on the definition of an initial exploitation vision (T8.4). The list of                               results will be updated as the project develops. The consortium will develop short- and                           medium- term exploitation visions, including intellectual property consideration (T8.5) and                   commercialisation plans for the relevant results (T8.6). The exploitation framework also                     includes an overarching market and stakeholder analysis across the different sectors                     associated with the project (T8.3) to set the foundation of an effective exploitation of the                             results.     Strongly linked to WP8 and WP10, WP9 performs learning, knowledge exchange, and                       collaboration between the cities in the project and works with other existing SCC1                         Lighthouse projects through a number of measures, including learning workshops, event                     attendance, and clustering and storytelling workshops. The framework is laid out in D9.1:                         Framework for intra-project collaboration and the outcomes were and are detailed further                       14

in the following reporting deliverables.   In return we will reinforce other gears by working according to the open source principle:                             most knowledge developed is kept accessible to other projects. In the communication we                         also use channels of communication of the local cities (like the municipal website). To better                             integrate and possibly measure the reach and impact of these, we have to discuss the use                               of this data with the cities involved, in order to avoid privacy conflicts (GDPR) or data                               ownership issues. Details are coordinated with the ongoing task in WP11 on the Data                           Management Plan.   With the concept of the gearbox we have a better understanding of the embedded position                             of +CityxChange and its unique selling points. One of the elements is that the project is                               focused on small and medium-sized cities. There are currently over 800 cities with more                           than 50,000 inhabitants in the European Union. The majority of these, almost 700, are small                             and medium-sized cities (between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants). In general, the big                       cities have easier access to personnel and technical capacities to implement innovative                       solutions. However, this can be a major challenge in smaller cities. The lighthouse and                           follower cities of +CityxChange are all such cities. The +CityxChange project can therefore                         become a leading example for the majority of small and medium-sized cities in Europe.  

5.2 Local involvement and contribution to project outcome The second element of the dissemination and exploitation strategy is the involvement of                         the local cities. All dissemination managers of the cities and the coordinator will be united                             in a roundtable. The roundtable has monthly video conferences. During the meetings the                         communicators will exchange strategies, examples, best practices, feedback, etc. The goal is                       to create a learning community which is inspired to develop, test and measure new ways of                               communication.   The agenda for the first months (M3-M12) of this roundtable was: 

1. To develop a local stakeholder map; 

14 D9.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/framework-for-intra-project-collaboration/ 

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2. To write a description of the local case study in easy to understand texts and                             illustrations; 

3. To translate the English leaflet in local language, thereby considering the meaning of                         keywords; 

4. To list local means and channels for communication; 5. To compose a local press kit presenting the project; 6. To start publishing about the project on local channels. 

 While this was primarily achieved, it became evident that the pace of development varies                           significantly between the different cities. The two LHC are moving forward as expected, and                           further materials were developed for them, the FC are too early in the process and still have                                 to build more foundational structures internally in order to initiate the projects effectively in                           their local environments. Catching up and ensuring that all cities are moving at a                           comparable pace was one of the main challenges of the second year. While progress has                             been made, further supported by newly hired staff members in most of the cities, the                             COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the crucial citizen engagement activities while taking up                       most of the municipal resources. However, at the time of the delivery of this document,                             many of these delays have been mostly compensated for and additionally, new directions                         and formats for engagement created.   Despite that, ISOCARP has developed the main framework for communication (the                     communication plan, templates, leaflets, etc.). The leaflet is further developed into a press                         kit for each city in the local language, in order to reach as many citizens as possible. The                                   front side has a general description of the project and the back side is tailor made for each                                   city and will develop over time. Furthermore, project-wide information materials have been                       produced. This is further described in section 7.6.  Through the various Demonstration Projects, +CityxChange analyses user patterns and                   behaviour (for both energy and mobility). This creates a deeper understanding of local                         habits and culture (later on resulting in practical recommendations). By choosing a playful                         way of communicating and learning (e.g., DP03 and DP05), the impact of communication is                           maximised, and it ensures that all actions are well embedded in the spatial, economic,                           technical, environmental and social context of the project. Therefore, the Demonstration                     Projects are one of the most important means of engagement and communication at the                           local city level. A framework for this was developed in D3.1: Framework for Bold City Vision,                               Guidelines and Incentive Schemes and has been expanded in D3.2: Delivery of the citizen                           15

participation playbook , including information on communication. 16

15 D3.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/framework-for-bold-city-vision-guidelines- and-incentive-schemes/ 16 D3.2 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/delivery-of-the-citizen-participation-playbook/ 

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 Fig. 9: Schematic setup of the demonstration projects, produced by +CityxChange 

5.3 Communication round table & peer-system In the first months, monthly round table discussions were held to discuss                       communication-related issues. Due to the short time for each communication manager to                       discuss their progress and challenges, starting from M7 of the project, the format was                           adapted to alternating monthly Skype calls, with bi-monthly rotating focus groups. These                       were established which were supposed to lead to more in-depth exchange and discussion                         between the cities itself and ISOCARP as facilitator. Unfortunately, the participation rates                       during the summer were too low to have an effective process of this kind. Therefore, the                               format was changed back to general meetings. These, combined with bilateral calls and                         more topic-specific meetings allow for a more targeted and active discussion and will be                           continued as such for now. 

5.4 Local Communication Strategies In order to consider and compile the individual characteristics, approaches and                     environments of the LHC and FC, the development of individual and city-specific                       communication strategies were proposed. This process was initiated by ISOCARP Institute                     and supported through the communication manager of each city. These include the more                         specific communication objectives, local stakeholder maps, local leaflets and press kits,                     communication channels, and other relevant information. The strategies did not evolve into                       full documents but are rather living compilations of files and approaches which are                         

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consistently updated. Below, two exemplary stakeholder maps show the approach of the                       two Lighthouse Cities. 

Fig. 10: Stakeholder map Limerick, developed by LCCC  

 Fig. 11: Stakeholder map Trondheim, developed by Trondheim Kommune 

5.5 Scientific dissemination The project results and solutions will be made available to the scientific community, policy                           makers and industry by using scientific channels such as scholarly journals, conferences,                       workshops, etc., apart from the existing Deliverables, which are also targeting a broad                         audience (and written in a readable, but detailed style), including the scientific community                         where applicable. Selected channels used within the +CityxChange project will be described                       below.   For the time being, +CityxChange is the only SCC01 project led by a university; scientific                             quality and publications are highly relevant. While an Innovation Action provides limited                       budgets for scientific publication, the DoA specifies that +CityxChange will actively present                       project evaluation and experiences at a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed conferences and in 5                           scientific journals, to support the validity of the innovation activities and demonstration                       

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projects and to promote development and exploitation of +CityxChange open innovation                     and cross-cutting issues (T9.1) in research. +CityxChange has defined a procedure for                       identifying, tracking and qualifying publications before they are published, including                   scientific quality and compliance with IP rights (see also D11.17 Updated Overall                       Consortium Plan 1 ). 17

 The publication efforts are clustered in Task 10.5, and will mainly be the responsibility of the                               2 universities involved in +CityxChange, UL and NTNU. However, it is an aim to publish not                               just Deliverables, whitepapers etc. with industry partners and cities, but also to extend this                           collaboration to the co-authoring of scientific articles. This approach is resulting in multiple                         jointly authored papers.  The scientific dissemination strategy is defined broadly, as the project spans a wide number                           of disciplines and topics. We refrain from prescribing specific venues, but rather aim for the                             standard of excellence of the university partners, which is to target high quality venues and                             also participate in relevant other events and venues.  Other results can take the form of white papers, contributions to guidelines and lessons                           learned, the final report, as well as joint publications with EU bodies and other SCC1                             projects, such as the SCIS solution booklets for dissemination and replication. Expected scientific results will be clustered mainly around the 11 Demo Projects and the                           specific enabling innovations for them. The results of local deployment as well as overall                           guidelines and recommendations from the project are further topics. Around 10 papers are                         already published or in revision processes with further ones under development out of the                           first 2 years of the project. These mainly target early results, frameworks, and overall                           concepts. Further results are expected after the completion of Year 2 when WPs 1, 2, 3 are                                 being finalised and respective Deliverables together with initial implementation results in                     WPs 4, 5, 6 can form the basis for further articles. Additional results are expected after the                                 completion of the Year 3 deployments in the LHCs and adaptations and evaluations within                           the last 2 years.  Details will be assessed in sessions between and within the universities to balance different                           requirements and balance efforts between Deliverables, whitepapers, and scientific articles                   and to also fit into partners’ own strategies.  Publications will be made available under Open Access conditions (cf. D11.7, 11.16, ff.).                         Publication outcomes are tracked internally, reported to the EU Portal, and disseminated                       on the project website as a dedicated subsection of the knowledge base.   18

5.5.1 Targeted journals (selection) No complete list can be provided as the range of topics covered in the project are too                                 broad. However, the following list of journals has been already used for publication or will                             be considered for upcoming publications. 

17 Confidential, not available publicly. 18 Available at: https://cityxchange.eu/article-categories/research-outcomes/ 

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● International Journal of Sustainable Energy; ● Energy Informatics Journal; ● International Journal of Energy Sector Management ● Infrastructures; ● Sustainability; ● International Journal of Green Energy; ● Environment and Planning; ● Energy; ● Transactions on Information Systems; ● ISOCARP Review articles; 

 

5.5.2 Targeted conferences / scientific events Conferences and scientific events where +CityxChange have been and will be present. The                         topics of the scientific events are also very diverse given the wide range of topics that the                                 project covers. Certain events are targeted for scientific dissemination. These include                     conferences hosted by project partners, those facilitated or attended by the broader SCC01                         network, by INEA/EC/EU etc. Others are based on topic considerations or existing venue                         choices by the participating partners, departments, and researchers. 

5.5.3 Deliverables and projects outputs  Most project deliverables are public. Many describe developed systems and frameworks                     and their application. Others are ongoing and regular reporting and far less relevant for the                             scientific community. A list of deliverables has been identified as potentially relevant for                         scientific dissemination and will be assessed for scope of publication and for standalone or                           combined articles. A rough target is to have at least one article per Demo Project .  

No.  Deliverable name 

D7.1  Approach and Methodology for Monitoring and Evaluation 

D7.2  Reporting to the SCIS system 

D1.1  Report on the relationship model for the Integrated Modelling Platform 

D2.1  Report on enabling regulatory mechanisms to trial innovation in cities 

D3.1  Framework for Bold City Vision, Guidelines and Incentive Schemes 

D2.2  Toolbox for design of DPEB including eMobility and distributed energy resources 

D2.3  Report on the Flexibility Market 

D2.4  Report on bankability of the demonstrated innovations 

D4.1 Limerick DST (Integrated Modelling and Decision Support Tool) including training                   manuals/videos 

D4.2  Limerick project documentation repository including project status reports 1 

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D5.1  Trondheim project documentation repository including project status reports 1 

D7.3  Data Collation, Management and Analysis Methodology Framework 

D7.4  Monitoring and Evaluation Dashboard 

D7.5  Data Collection and Management Guideline Reports 1 

D9.6  CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 1 

D2.5  Seamless eMobility system including user interface 

D3.2  Delivery of the citizen participation playbook 

D3.3  Framework for Innovation Playgrounds 

D2.6  Framework for community grid implementation 

D1.2  Report on the architecture for the ICT ecosystem 

D1.3  Report and catalogue on the ICT data integration and interoperability 

D1.4  Demonstration of the +CityxChange Integrated Modeling Platform 

D2.7  Local DPEB trading market demonstration tool 

D3.4  Framework for DPEB learning and education 

D3.5  Framework for a Positive Energy Champion network 

D3.6  Framework for DPEB Innovation Labs 

D4.3  Limerick Innovation Lab Solutions Catalogue 1 

D4.4  Limerick DPEB Implementation Guide 1 

D4.5  eMobility in Limerick DPEB Implementation Guide 

D5.2  Trondheim DST including training manuals/videos 

D5.3  Campus Microgrid Model Prototype 

D5.13  Trondheim eMaaS Demonstration 

D6.1  Established Baseline and DST for each FC 

D9.11  CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 2 

D5.5  Energy Trading Market Demonstration 

D4.7  Limerick 2050 Vision, Integrated Action Plan and Digital Guide 

D4.8  Limerick Citizen Observatory 

D4.9  White Paper “Regulations Unlocking Innovation Potential” 

D4.10  Limerick Innovation Lab Solutions Catalogue 2 

D4.11  Limerick DPEB Implementation Guide 2 

D4.12  Community Grid Implementation Guide 

D4.13  Limerick Energy Trading Market - Implementation Report 

D4.14  Energy profile of Community Grid and EV users 

D4.15  Limerick Energy Investment Models White Paper 

D5.6  Trondheim Flexibility Market Deployment Report 

D5.7  Trondheim 2050 Bold City Vision and Guidelines 

D5.8  Trondheim Citizen Observatory 

D5.9  Playbook of regulatory recommendations for enabling new energy systems 

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D5.10  Trondheim Innovation Lab Solutions Catalogue 

D5.11  Trondheim DPEB Demonstration 

D5.16  Trondheim sustainable investment and business concepts and models 

D6.2  Bold City Vision 2050 for each FC 

D6.3  Technical feasibility study of the potential PEB replications in each FC 

D8.1  Report on market and Stakeholder analysis 

D9.16  CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 3 

D10.9  Plan for dissemination and exploitation of +CityxChange project results 

D6.4  Report on Investment Pipelines and Novel Business Models for FCs 

D7.14  Data Collection and Management Guideline Reports 4 

D8.2  Report on the identification and assessment of exploitable results 

D9.21  CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 4 

D6.5  Report on community participation and playground results 

D8.3  Report on replication assessment and profiles for each +CityxChange demonstration project 

D9.24  CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 5 

D8.6  Report on commercialisation plans for different solutions and markets 

  

5.6 Tracking and monitoring of communication & dissemination activities A list of key performance indicators (KPI’s) were defined for the +CityxChange project. WP7                           (Monitoring and Evaluation) develops a KPI framework for the LHCs, FCs, and solution                         providers. It is useful to include ways of tracking for communication here, as the outcome                             of communication is stakeholder involvement. Engagement is one of the core elements of                         the overarching model for DPEBs (+CityxChange 2018b, p. 11). Engagement has numerous                       goals; to inform about the project, to enthuse future end users, to test solutions with end                               users, to transfer knowledge. To better understand the impact, it is useful to measure the                             engagement (like the amount and type of people engaged with).   The KPI framework is coordinated in WP7 by project partner Future Analytics Consulting.                         While these primarily discuss the broader KPIs of the project, additional indicators are                         crucial to track and elaborate the local and media-specific communication outreach over                       time. On the one hand, these individual parameters provide more detailed insights, while                         they also contribute to measuring the broader communication and dissemination success                     when aggregated Therefore, a system is being developed which counts the number of                         social media interactions, people reached through alternative media, engagements and                   participatory actions, the number of attendees to local events etc. The goal is to learn from                               

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the type of information collected in the LHCs at the current moment and build a system                               which takes into consideration the variety of communication channels and differences in                       capacity and approach in the different cities.   Secondly there is a different level of expertise among the cities. It is important to develop a                                 common understanding of what ‘success’ or ‘impact’ means for the local situation and the                           ongoing research. To give an example: a local city might publish a lot of articles on their                                 municipal website, while it may have little impact because the target audience does not visit                             that website. This learning process will also benefit from the initial findings from the                           communication efforts as soon as they are initiated on a scale which allows comparability.   Lastly, the cities have different ways of communicating and different channels. The metrics                         will therefore need to be customised for each city (+CityxChange 2018b, p. 20). Thereby it is                               also possible to include local parameters here (like number of visitors of a demo site). This                               addresses the goal of the project to have meaningful end-user engagement and to include                           urban prototyping and co-design (+CityxChange 2018b, p. 35) which reinforces the                     research outcome and validity for exploitation into other cities. 

5.7 Phasing of the strategy during the project The project has multiple phases, starting with an internal start-up phase and developing                         into an operational phase with dissemination of the project results. Different phases mean                         that the goal of communication develops over time for different aspects of the project.                           While the overall project is still at stage one, the LHCs transitioned towards stages two to                               four. The Follower Cities are mainly active in the first two stages and simultaneously plan for                               stage three, mostly for the work on the Bold City Visions (T6.2).  

 Fig. 12: Strategy over time   

1. To inform about the project Actions in the first phase like attending international conferences. Goal is to inform                         others about the project, establish the project in the research community, develop a                         network for future exploitation and dissemination. 

2. Engage to inform Interaction at the local city level to establish the project, make it known, develop a                             local network. 

3. Engage to collect Engage with stakeholders to collect input for the research, like the Bold City Vision,                           engagement, and learning. 

4. Engage to validate Interaction to get feedback on proposed models, research outcomes. This is done                       both at the local level and in the broader community of practise 

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5. Exploitation and knowledge transfer Capacity building at EU level to transfer the developed frameworks, dashboards and                       best practises to other cities. 

6. Dissemination of results Wide dissemination at multiple levels of the outcomes. 

     

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6 Organisation In order to execute the strategy, it is necessary to align the organisation with it. This chapter                                 makes clear how that is achieved. 

6.1 Organogram ISOCARP has a central role in communication. It facilitates and manages the external                         communication.  

● Communication products are first discussed with partners/cities involved; ● The progress is reported to the project coordinator (PC) NTNU; ● The cities are united into a roundtable/learning community, which has monthly                     

video conferences; ● General communication by all partners is facilitated by ISOCARP in coordination with                       

WP11 and involved partners.   

 Fig. 13: Organisational diagram 

  This setup has numerous advantages:  (1) All work developed in WP10 Communication is supervised by the work packages who are                             going to use the outcomes; WP8 Exploitation and WP9 Collaboration. (2) Both lighthouse cities are involved (in the roundtable and QA). (3) The team of Limerick consists of native speakers and can check language (4) NTNU is also project coordinator so keeps a good overview of the progress 

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6.2 Quality assessment  Internal quality control is important for the impact of the outcomes. For WP10 it is done in                                 two steps: 

1. First with the partners involved in the creation of the product, including all                         +CityxChange cities; 

2. Quality Assessment (QA) is preliminarily done by a process including three                     members, Limerick (Lighthouse City and native speakers for proofreading),                 Trondheim (Lighthouse city), NTNU (project coordinator and WP9 Collaboration                 lead), while keeping all cities informed. The overall quality assurance plan for all                         Deliverables is set out in D11.2: Quality Assurance Plan . 19

   

19 Confidential, not available publicly. 

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7 Means, Delivery method The previous sections covered the objectives, context analysis, strategy for communication                     and organisation. The strategy is executed by the means, which are described in this                           section. 

7.1 Means related to the communication goals The communication activities of the +CityxChange project address different goals,                   depending on the stage of the project. In the beginning external events were used to                             inform others about the project and establish valuable connections for future use.                       Gradually, the focus advanced into more primary engagement in research, validation of the                         results (with, e.g., scientific papers), exploitation and wide dissemination of the outcomes.  

 Fig. 14: Shifting goals of the means 

   

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7.2 Project website During the proposal phase a project website has been developed. The goal of the website                             is to function as the main gateway to the project. It is the first point of contact for many                                     people who are interested in the project. The website is operated by WP leader ISOCARP.                             This includes an evaluation of the reach and impact, for example with Google Analytics. All                             partners contribute to the website by delivering content. Moreover, some of the                       municipalities involved in the project, now have their own pages for the project, expanding                           in this way the amount of content that is being produced related to the +CityxChange                             project. A list is provided below: 

(1) Limerick, +CityxChange section: (https://www.limerick.ie/CityxChange)  (2) Sestao, +CityxChange section: (http://www.sestaoberri.eus/tag/cityxchange/) (3) Trondheim, +CityxChange section: 

(https://www.trondheim.kommune.no/aktuelt/utvalgt/andre-omrader/barekraft/cxc/)    The official +CityxChange website is revised periodically. The central objective of the website                         is the provision of information about the project status, updates, and development over                         time to the general public as well as people and organisations working in related fields. It                               should support both information and replication efforts. Furthermore, it shall represent the                       project’s main objective of co-creating innovative urban solutions in a participatory and                       inclusive manner while emphasising the importance of open, public availability of the                       majority of outcomes and developments along the process. A specific importance lies on                         the broad coverage of different interest groups. It shall simultaneously be able to provide a                             general project understanding for the urban citizen, while also acting as an information                         portal for the professional fields of smart cities and the positive energy district/building                         sector and municipalities.  

 Fig. 15: Screenshot of the homepage 

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In particular, the website shall represent most of the range of the overall project – ranging                               from governance in the project cities, the process-oriented elements of participation,                     co-creation, active citizen and private sector involvement, to the more technical elements                       which describe the specific solutions which are developed by the project partners in both                           the digital and physical environment. Therefore, a major challenge lies in the ability to                           provide a broad spectrum of information which is easily accessible while sustaining a clear                           structure and comprehensibility. 

 

Fig. 16: Screenshot of Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Tool (www.mert.cityxchange.eu)  

In response to the feedback of the first project review meeting, more interactive elements                           are planned for and prepared. These include KPI dashboards such as the MERT (Monitoring                           and Evaluation Reporting Tool) which is already online but not publicly promoted yet, as                           well as 3D visualisations resulting from the work on Decision Support Systems (DST). The                           DST has been tested in Limerick already where the LCCC staff has received training on how                               to use the Integrated Modelling and Decision Support Tool (DST) in order to operate the                             tool their own purposes and use it to inform the development of the Bold City Vision and                                 future development of the Limerick PEB and Positive Energy District. More information of                         the DST can be found in D4.1 Limerick DST (Integrated Modelling and Decision Support                           Tool) including training manuals/videos . However, the mapping and data organisation                   20

work is still ongoing. Therefore, the extension of the interactive elements are anticipated for                           the third project year. 

20 D4.1 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/d4-1-limerick-dst-integrated-modelling-and-decision-support-tool-including-training-manuals-videos/  

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Fig. 17: Web interface of the DST for the example of Limerick 

Individual systems are also going to be included not in the main project website, but into                               the specific websites the cities have made for the local project dissemination and activities.                           For example, Limerick has included a mapping app (as on of the solutions identified in D3.3                               Framework for Innovation Playgrounds ) under its +CityxChange website. 21

21 D3.3 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/d3-3-framework-for-innovation-playgrounds/   

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Fig. 18: Inclusion of a mapping tool into city project website (https://www.limerick.ie/cityxchange/se-cityxchange) 

7.2.1 Targeted audience 

The website aims at a variety of audiences, building upon the stakeholders derived from                           section 4.4. Building upon these and in order to operate the site according to the various                               needs, five user experiences are developed as guidance. 

7.2.1.1 User experience 1: General public 

One of the central target audiences is the general public – either from one of the LHC and                                   FC or other EU cities or the broader public. Therefore, a strong focus will always be on easy                                   comprehension and user-friendly content visualisation. For this target group, the general                     project information, as well as the city profiles and digestible technical representations are                         crucial. 

7.2.1.2 User experience 2: Academia 

The second user group of the website is the academic field. Therefore, another focus shall                             be on the provision of more detailed information on the executed demonstration projects,                         methods and tools. Another crucial element thereof is an easily browsable or searchable                         platform which incorporates project deliverables, technical content, as well as city-specific                     details. This will ensure that the +CityxChange project can be used as a                         information-provider for case studies and comparative analyses and contributes to the                     

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academic field of smart city research and the realisation and co-creation of positive energy                           districts and buildings, as well as participatory and citizen-centred urban governance                     approaches. Where possible, open research data will be linked, as described in the Data                           Management Plan (D11.5 and D11.7 ). 22 23

7.2.1.3 User experience 3: Public sector 

The third group incorporates the public sector with a focus on administrations and local                           governments of secondary and tertiary cities in the European Union. In order to cater for                             their primary interest for information for the city-specific implementation, planning, Bold                     City Vision-creation as well as development of funding strategies, it is important to create                           meaningful and detailed, bilingual city-profiles, which combined with the replication profiles                     produced by the partner R2M, create a comprehensive overview of the actions and demo                           projects conducted in each of the project’s cities. 

7.2.1.4 User experience 4: Private sector 

Similar to the public sector, the private sector’s interests, mostly in the field of (green)                             technology development and energy management, shall be addressed by the project’s                     website. Therefore, it is important to provide a good overview of the cities’ and citizens’                             needs, as well as the market potential and technical implementation of the demonstration                         projects. Furthermore, the monitoring and evaluation platform which will be created at a                         later stage and informs about the fulfillment of the project’s KPIs, has to be firmly integrated                               with a high priority on the accessibility and understandability of the data which is collected                             from the various cities. 

7.2.1.5 User experience 5: EU-wide Smart City/H2020 community 

Lastly, the intra-project and inter-project collaboration in the broader environment of EU                       H2020 projects (SCC1 and other Smart City topics), as well as the smart city field in general                                 should receive special importance. Therefore, the open and easy accessibility of the public                         deliverables, as well as overall project context and objectives, combined with the impact                         and success monitoring are fundamental. Additional to the provision of information of the                         +CityxChange project on the website, links to relevant project and knowledge networks and                         databases shall be included into the framework of the website to enable cross-project                         exposure and interaction and facilitate meaningful cooperation and learning and exchange                     relationships. For this, a primary focus shall be further on the upcoming event calendar as                             well as tracking through the news database to enable regular professional exchange with                         related partners. 

7.2.2 Audience Tracking & Analysis 

A profile of the audience since the formal launch, as well as its behaviour is analysed                               through the use of analytical extensions. This analytical reporting is an update on numbers                           that have been extracted over the period November 2019 - September 2020. 60% of                           

22 D11.5 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/data-management-plan-initial-version/ 23 D11.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/data-management-plan-2/ 

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visitors speak English, while 13% speak Norwegian, 7% German, 3% Spanish and 3% Italian.                           While this only includes the primary language of the visitor’s settings, it shows the                           international outreach, as well as the benefit from having some parts of the website                           translated to local languages. Additionally, 20% of the visitors are from Norway, 19% from                           the US, 10% from Ireland, 6% from the Netherlands, 5% from Germany, 4% from Spain, 4%                               from Italy and 3% from the UK. This global outreach is further showcased in a world map                                 showing the distribution (fig. 18). The development of the number of users is shown in the                               graph below (fig. 17). While it shows a slight decrease from February to May, a period when                                 the world was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It shows a slight increase in May, which                               has remained constant during the summer months, June and July. It shows a significant                           increase from August to September, months that quite a few activities have been                         happening within the project. Based on previous experience, numbers are expected to                       remain constant or to have a slight increase during the winter months due to events that                               are planned within the +CityxChange project, from our project partners and within the EU                           SCC projects.   

 Fig. 19. Screenshot of website analytics showing visitors and users over the period 11/2019 - 09/2020  

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 Fig. 20. Website analytics showing global distribution per country and user/visitor during period 11/2019 - 09/2020  Lastly, the majority of visitors come from organic search results, which highlights that the                           project website can be found and that people looking for related terms reach and visit the                               website. It shows further that 7.5 % of website visitors come from social media leads, which                               is anticipated to grow with an increasing number of social media followers.  

 Fig. 21. Website analytics showing entry point distribution of visitors   

7.2.3 News on website Specific news articles are written on the website to inform different events which were                           attended, project outcomes, or to report on other related activities. The news are                         furthermore shared on social media and partly included in the project newsletter. Below is                           a list of the news articles from October 2019 to October 2020:  

● Invitation - Action Cluster meeting and launch of the new EIP-SCC Initiative on                         Regulatory Frameworks (15 October 2020) 

● Limerick City Engage Week 2 - Renewable Energy (12 October 2020) 

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● Smart Cities celebrate the European Mobility Week with the hashtag                   #WeMoveSmart (9 September 2020) 

● City Engage Week to focus on Local Renewable Energy in Limerick (1 September                         2020) 

● +CityxChange project solutions and frameworks in the EU Horizon 2020 Innovation                     Radars (11 August 2020) 

● Re-Imagine Limerick’s Georgian Laneways: Green Museum II (23 July 2020) ● EUSEW 2020 Webinar: Creating a joint vision for Positive Energy Districts (8 July                         

2020) ● +CityxChange Projects unveiled to re-imagine Limerick’s Georgian Laneways (8 July                   

2020) ● +CityxChange Newsletter - July 2020 (1 July 2020) ● Celebrating Solidarity across EU Cities with #CityFromMyWindow (8 June 2020) ● SCIS Citizen Engagement Solution Booklet (12 May 2020) ● Workshop: Data driven energy services. How to engage consumers (4 May 2020) ● Struggling with the lockdown? A hashtag can help (16 April 2020) ● Join our challenge! #CityFromMyWindow (16 April 2020) ● Webinar on 27 May: Citizen participation playbook (13 March 2020) ● +CityxChange at WUF2020 (18 February 2020) ● Urban Prototyping in Georgian Limerick (13 February 2020) ● Public engagement: Do we really engage? (16 December 2020) ● Powerhouse Brattørkaia has been awarded project of the year by Project Norway                       

(20 November 2019) ● Co-Creation of Positive Energy Blocks (12 November 2019) ● +CityxChange Newsletter - November 2019 (6 November 2019) ● Trondheim and Limerick join the Climathon Wave 2019! (5 November 2019) ● Three new projects join the Smart Cities and Community Lighthouse projects (4                       

November 2019) ● +CityxChange Second Consortium Meeting, 23-25 October 2019, Limerick (4                 

November 2019) ● Exploring and sharing ways towards citizen-led energy transitions (25 October 2019) 

 

7.2.4 Upcoming development 

Over the coming months, the main extensions of the website will be an increasing number                             of events and news due to more project activities, the integration of the dashboard of the                               Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Tool (MERT), as well as more content in Knowledge                         Base, primarily more deliverables and the inclusion of the project glossary which is                         currently in development. 

7.3 Social media The impact of the different social media channels has been analysed, across a large                           number of H2020 projects where ISOCARP coordinates communication. Conclusions are,                   among others: 

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1. Twitter has the largest impact in terms of followers and interactions. The community                         mainly consists of experts/academics. 

2. Facebook is second, the quality of the content varies, and the audience is mainly                           citizens.  

3. LinkedIn is suitable for business related content but has a rather low number of                           followers. 

4. Instagram has a high impact but requires image-based content. 5. The above channels cannot replace each other, they all address slightly different                       

audiences. Other channels have a marginal reach among the general public.    The proposed strategy is to ‘stand on shoulders’ (see 5.1 Gearbox) and to use the existing                               communication channels of the cities (varying from Facebook pages to newspapers) to                       reach the citizens. For the practice and research community a Twitter account is a very                             effective way. 

7.3.1 Twitter The Twitter channel has been in active use since April 2018. The impact of the different                               channels is measured over time and it is possible to add channels when more research                             results become available.  

 Fig. 22: +CityxChange Twitter account  24

 Our impact and presence in twitter has been constantly growing. The two graphs below (fig.                             21) show both, the number of tweet impressions per month and the number of followers                             per month. The Covid-19 crises had an impact on our social media account, especially                           during the lockdown, where most municipalities had to stop some of their project activities,                           resulting in less activities to be communicated to our social media audience. Our twitter                           

24 +CityxChange Twitter account: https://twitter.com/plusCities  

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account actively follows and interacts with other accounts of project partners, other SCC1                         projects, and European institutions, as well as other related and relevant accounts.   

 Fig. 23: +CityxChange twitter account analytics (left: period 11.19-09.20; right: period 11.2019-09.20) 

7.3.2 YouTube A YouTube channel has been set-up and includes all kinds of videos and animations                           25

developed over the project span. The channel is listed in the SCC01 Communication and                           Dissemination Task Group document to allow for inclusion in “The Smart Cities Channel”                         26

and cross-linking of the videos of different projects. Furthermore, webinars organised as                       part of the project work and the further dissemination of project deliverables are made                           available through the YouTube channel. 

 Fig. 24: +CityxChange YouTube account showing all videos that have been uploaded  

25 +CityxChange YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmlplsLkDtYzFQEhLnZXRvg?view_as=subscriber  26 Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChPCzf64phTFphlX9jR3XbA/playlists  

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 Fig. 25: +CityxChange YouTube account showing all videos which are in our playlist 

7.4 Newsletters Digital newsletters are produced to keep the network informed of the project and its                           outcomes. The newsletter features events, case studies (descriptions of the local cities),                       research results and other relevant news provided by third parties. Five newsletters have                         been distributed throughout the entire project period so far. They are distributed in our                           newsletter subscribers network, the ISOCARP network of city and regional planners,                     through the Dissemination and Communication task group of all SCC01 projects and                       various social media channels. So far, this has led to an audience increase to 291                             subscribers.An overview of the sent newsletters can be found in the archive on the website:                             https://cityxchange.eu/newsletter-archive/  

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 Fig. 26: Excerpt of the fourth+CityxChange newsletter 

7.5 Materials To ease the access and updated overview of materials created, a living document is set up                               in the internal project environment to assist consortium partners in finding relevant                       information as well as information about its storage location, formats, and last update. Fig.                           23 shows a screenshot thereof, while the following subsections highlight the most                       important ones.  

 Fig. 27: Excerpt of developed material and infographics overview for internal purposes 

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7.5.1 Leaflets (city-specific and extended) During the first months of the project leaflet was developed for each participating city. The                             front cover contains general information about the +CityxChange project. The back cover                       has information about the local city project. The cities translated the leaflets in local                           language to increase the reach and impact. The first version was finalised in M6 and grew                               until M12 into a complete press kit (D10.7: Press kits about the project for each city ). 27

The leaflets – both general and city-specific – have been designed to capture the                           28 29

attention of different target groups. In a graphical way, they explain the rationale behind                           the project – its vision, cities involved in the project, project implementation activities and                           project demonstration sites in each city. However, the produced leaflets are a preliminary                         set of information materials and are regularly updated. The leaflets consist of two different                           types. The first one focuses on the general information and visualises the project’s context,                           goals, and locations. It includes information on the main cities which are part of the project                               and a graphical representation of the project vision of +CityxChange. 

The second group of leaflets is a collection of seven different leaflets – one for each city –                                   displaying on the front page again the overall vision of the project. On the back, a                               description of the specific project environment of the city, as well as a map of the project                                 site at the current stage of planning is shown. For effective local communication, the                           city-specific leaflets are translated into the respective local languages of the LHCs and FCs. 30

27 D10.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/press-kits/  28 Available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/project-leaflet/  29 Available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/city-leaflet-english/  30 Translated leaflets available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/city-leaflet-local-languages/  

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 Fig. 28: Front (left) and back (right) of first edition of general project leaflets  

 Fig. 29: Front (left) and back (right) of first edition of city-specific project leaflets (example of Trondheim)  

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7.5.2 Animation Several animations have been produced in order to make project related concepts easily                         digestible for the larger audience. The first animation was produced by NTNU to showcase                           the key ingredients of the PED/PEB development process. It is featured on the homepage                           of the website, as well as the project YouTube channel. 

 Fig. 30: Animation explaining PED/PEB development process (produced by NTNU)  31

 The second animation has been produced by our Lighthouse city, Trondheim and explains                         what the idea of an energy positive city means for Trondheim. What exactly is energy and                               how will Trondheim get Europe to use new and smart solutions so we use less electricity                               than we make? 

 Fig. 31: Animation explaining the positive energy city, Trondheim  32

31 Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cibXP-1-nLw&feature=emb_logo  32 Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbDdU3JPWjg&feature=emb_logo  

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7.5.3 Other materials Despite the above shown materials, project-wide materials such as roll-ups, banners, and                       business cards are developed and used for events, exhibitions or fairs. Additionally, the                         cities and partners create further city-specific materials which are centrally collected for                       potential reuse or adaptation by other partners and cities. 

7.6 Supporting Tools Despite direct public materials, a range of internal documents and tools are being created                           to support the communication and dissemination efforts. 

7.6.1 Visual identity The WP leader ISOCARP has developed a visual identity for +CityxChange, based upon the                           project logo, initial identity, and graphics package that was developed by Trondheim                       Kommune with NTNU and the Consortium in the proposal phase. The brand identity                         comprises a logo, colour palette, fonts, etc.   

 

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 Fig. 32: Excerpt from the visual identity document   ISOCARP is responsible for implementation of the brand identity. All partners will receive a                           shortened version with communication guidelines and the visual identity is available                     through the internal shared file space of the project and other means. 

7.6.2 Templates 

 Fig. 33: Templates   Both a Word and PowerPoint-template has been developed to ensure a uniform outreach                         and are part of D10.2: Consortium Identity and Templates. Due to the project operating                           mainly in the GoogleDrive environment, the templates were extended to according                     templates which are used primarily for the development of deliverables and internal                       reports. 

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7.6.3 Infographics In a similar manner as the overview of communication materials, an online overview                         document was created, showing all infographics, their content, etc. (fig. 30). This document                         is crucial to keep an overview over what was created as part of different WP and tasks to                                   avoid duplicated work and consistency.  

 

 Fig. 34: Excerpts from infographic overview for internal use  

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7.6.4 Glossary As described in a previous section, a variety of terms is used across the project. The variety                                 in itself, the span of knowledge fields, combined with the frequent use of abbreviations, the                             different project languages and technical aspects, the terms complicate effective and clear                       communication within the project (primarily for newly joining colleagues) and even more so                         when addressing the general public. Therefore, different attempts were made in the                       beginning of the projects to define them clearly. However, these were mainly done inside                           different WP and specific to the respective needs. Further, it became evident that for many                             terms no consistent definition could be found yet by all project partners. Therefore, the                           different efforts were compiled and discussed further in a dedicated workshop during the                         first consortium meeting.   The goal was to reach a list of all terms which require definition which was achieved. These                                 were mostly complemented with a detailed technical definition, as well as a citizen-friendly                         definition. The work has been continued by SE and UL as part of the Next Generation Smart                                 Citizen learning framework (to be submitted in M24 as well). Where appropriate, visual                         icons or infographics are produced to further showcase their meaning. In the future, a                           translation to the local languages might be advisable for some of the terms to allow for a                                 consistent communication across the project. The definitions and further information will                     be made available to the public in the Knowledge Base of the project website. 

7.6.5 Outreach, partnerships & media channels Since February 2019 a list of media channels was composed by all the partners of the                               consortium. Additional to the various channels, it includes international networks of                     practitioners to disseminate the project process and outcomes. It was formally delivered in                         M6 and is expanded over the project span.   In addition to fostering the dissemination of the achieved results and ongoing                       +CityxChange activities, the focus is on reinforcing partnerships with EU-wide media outlets                       and organisations linked to the objectives and project field. These include among others                         European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), JPI Urban Europe, EUROCITIES, ICLEI, EUKN,                     Greencities. The combined use thereof increases the impact of the project's dissemination                       activities. At the same time, they are seen as a means to distribute promotional materials                             and tailored messages for each communication campaign to the members in their network.                         Instead of aiming at solely one-directional communication streams, the utilisation of these                       platforms shall also generate interest and awareness in the broader community and                       subsequently lead to increased external feedback, support, and exposure. The targeted                     international and local media channels are collected in a working document and will be                           continuously extended over the course of the project.   Building new and utilising existing partnerships is a crucial element to reach the right                           audiences, increase exposure, and assist the project’s results and findings to have a                         broader impact outside the project environment, while simultaneously leading to potential                     benefits of the demonstration project in LHC and FC itself. Therefore, another goal is                           

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enabling possibilities for partnerships or collaborations of LHC and FC with national,                       regional, and international city networks and sectoral alliances.   Additional to city networks, a range of existing partnerships will be used and strengthened                           over the span of the project. These include among others the lead partner of dissemination                             and exploitation ISOCARP (WP10) and connected initiatives, e.g., UN-Habitat’s Planners for                     Climate Action (P4CA) and OECD’s, UN-Habitat’s and Cities Alliance’s National Urban Policy                       Programme (NUPP). Furthermore, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), JPI Urban                     Europe, and relevant EU Horizon 2020 platforms, such as Smart Cities Information System                         (SCIS) and Smart Cities and Communities (SCC01) environment, in which +CityxChange is                       situated, are crucial for the international communication strategies. E.g., the mailing list and                         regular calls of the Dissemination and Communication task group of all SCC01 projects is                           used to communicate major outcomes and announcements.   ISOCARP’s network of over 800 planners and urban policy makers is activated for a broad                             outreach and result dissemination to generate interest of city officials, international expert                       feedback, e.g., in case of online participatory platforms and to create international input                         and quality assurance. Furthermore, the international environment shall support the                   replication and awareness of Positive Energy Districts outside the project environment.                     Additional to the individual and institutional members of ISOCARP, established partnerships                     and connections such as P4CA (constituted of organisations with over 80,000 members)                       and the NUPP will further increase the dissemination impact and outreach of +CityChange.   Furthermore, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) – the largest energy research                       community in Europe – is a crucial international initiative which aims at improved                         coordination of existing energy research to foster more efficient and cheaper low carbon                         energy technologies. EERA brings together more than 50,000 experts, as well as around                         250 research centres and universities in 30 countries. Additionally, EERA has a variety of                           Joint Programmes (JP), most relevant for +CityxChange, the EERA JP Smart Cities which is                           headed by the +CityxChange project coordinator Annemie Wyckmans (NTNU).  Also operating in the EU-environment, JPI Urban Europe represents another relevant                     partner (platform). During the first project’s Learning and Storytelling workshop, which was                       organised preceding a JPI Urban Europe event with a focus on Positive Energy Districts                           (PED), various content-related overlaps became prevalent, while the vision of JPI’s future                       focus on PED, e.g., through establishing PED-focused city networks highlighted further                     potential.   Lastly, +CityxChange operates in an active and broad environment of other EU H2020                         projects and has direct links to several of them (e.g., SCIS, projects of SCC-01, the joint                               board of coordinators, and its Communication task group). While these partnerships                     already exist and are linked to the project, they must be used in the most effective way to                                   learn from other projects, communicate the experiences and results of +CityxChange, as                       well as foster more intense partnerships between the several consortiums and partners. 

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7.6.5.1 International Media 

● Covenant of Mayors ● Eurocities ● ICLEI ● EUKN ● Greencities ● LE:NOTRE ● URBACT ● Blauwe kamer ● Stedenbouw ● TOPOS magazine ● Gebiedsontwikkeling.nu ● Monu ● Energy cities ● CIVITAS ● INTERACT ● European Council of Spatial Planners ● Royal Town Planning Institute ● Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ● Marine Energy biz ● Renewable Energy World ● Wave&TidalEnergyNetwork ● AESOP European Schools ● Council of Europe ● Council of cities and regions in Europe ● Eurogi - European Geographic Information Community ● UNECE Smart Cities ● Arquia Foundation 

7.6.5.2 Local Media 

Trondheim ● Trondheim Kommune (website) ● Trondheim Kommune (Facebook) ● Trondheim Kommune (Twitter page) ● Trondheim 2030 (website) ● Trondheim 2030 (Facebook page) ● Trondheim SmartBy (Google site) 

 Limerick  

● An Taisce (platform) ● Irish Times (newspaper) ● Limerick Leader (newspaper) ● Limerick Post (newspaper) 

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● Limerick.ie (official council page)   Písek  

● Smart Pisek (platform)  Alba Iulia  

● Alba Iulia Smart City (network) ● Alba Iulia Municipality (website) ● Alba Iulia Municipality (Facebook page) ● Alba Iulia Smart City (Twitter page) ● Alba Iulia Smart City (LinkedIn page) ● Europe Direct Alba Iulia (Facebook page)  ● Viziteaza Alba Iulia Official Blog (blog) 

 Smolyan  

● Smolyan Municipality (website) ● Община Смолян (Facebook page) ● Smolyan Bgvesti (TV channel) ● 24 Smolian (website) 

 Sestao  

● El Correo (newspaper) ● Ensestao (newspaper) ● Sestao City Council (website) ● Sestao City Council (Facebook page) ● Sestao City Council (Twitter page) ● Sestao Berri (website) ● Sestao Berri (Facebook page) ● Sestao Berri (Twitter page) ● El Mundo del Pais Vasco (newspaper) ● Agencia Colpisa (platform) ● Agencia Europa Press (platform) ● Radio Popular Bilbao (radio) ● EITB Radio Euskadi Bilbao (radio) ● COPE Bilbao (radio) ● Punto Radio Bilbao (radio) ● Telebilbao (TV channel) 

 Partner Channels 

 ● OV Group (Officinae Verdi) (blog) ● OV Group (Twitter page)  

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● OV Group (LinkedIn page) ● OV Group (Facebook page)  ● OV Group (Youtube channel) 

 Partnerships  

● JPI Urban Europe (knowledge hub) ● European Energy Research Alliance (research network) ● ISOCARP (society of planners) ● Democratic Cities (conference) ● Metadecidim community (community) ● Consul Project (participation project) 

7.6.6 Press Corner Press kits of the project, developed as part of D10.7: Press kits about the project for each city                                  33

, are easily accessible for reporters and other audiences through the +CityxChange website,                         in a separate section labelled as the ‘Press Corner’. A link to the section is included in the                                   menu of the website. The Press Corner is structured in a way that can give the media an                                   idea of the ‘who, what and where’ of +CityxChange project.  

General information on the project's main points can be deducted from the general                         website and material. Specific questions can be answered through the FAQ section.                       Furthermore, in order to get more information for each city specifically and its contact                           points, the reader will be redirected to the city-specific sections. A general overview on the                             dissemination material that has been produced so far can be found through the press                           releases and the downloadable package.  

A city-specific press kit, translated into the local language, is developed for each city as a                               separate package. Journalists, reporters and other concerned parties can obtain through                     the city specific profiles on our website or by contacting the respective contact point. The                             package will mainly contain downloadable material such as the editable presentation, the                       general press release, city specific logos, frequently asked questions (FAQs), etc.  

33 D10.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/press-kits/ 

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 Fig. 35: Screenshot from press corner on project website  The press corner also showcases the coverage in international and national news. An                         excerpt of this list is shown below: 

 ● Community Led Open Innovation (Limerick.ie, July 16, 2020) ● EUSEW 2020 – WEBINAR: Creating a Joint Vision for PEDs – Recap (SCIS, July 3, 2020) ● Innovation Atelier Bilbao celebra su primer workshop con ciudades Lighthouse y 

Fellow (Cluster Energy, June 26, 2020) ● From nearly-Zero to Plus Energy Buildings (Buildup.eu, June 10,2020) ● FAC Co-Authors New Placemaking Publication (Future Analytics, June 8, 2020) ● Limerick - Positive Energy Block (IES, May 21, 2020) ● La ciudad noruega de Trondheim usará la tecnología IOTA para abordar los retos de 

los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible La ciudad noruega de Trondheim usará la tecnología IOTA para abordar los retos de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible(eSmartcities.es, February 13, 2020) 

● Sestao Berri, presente en el stand de AVS Euskadi en la VIII Feria Berdeago Energy (sestaoberri.eus, February 11, 2020) 

● Open Call: Innovative Citizen Solutions for Positive Energy Transition and Limerick's Georgian laneways (Limerick City Council, January 22, 2020) 

● Limerick Council’s Georgian Living City scheme gets award nod (Limerick Leader, January 14, 2020) 

● ABB demonstrerer banebrytende plussbyløsninger i Trondheim (ABB, December 5, 2019) 

● The First Limerick Climathon (Medium.com, November 12, 2019) ● IOTA Becoming Part Of Self-Sustaining Smart Cities (IOTA, October 24, 2019) 

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● Developers community update: IOTA & +CityxChange (IOTA, October 22, 2019) 

7.6.7 Continuous public relations work and tracking There will be continuous outreach work by WP10 and the partners, aligned with principles                           laid out in this document. To document the outreach and impact in media, alongside own                             activities, WP10 set up a mechanism for tracking media outreach and presentations as a                           living document. This will lead to a final collection in D10.12: Publications in local media and                               professional media (M60). 

   

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8 Other Activities  

8.1 Learning Workshops 

The second +CxC Learning Workshop was originally planned to take place in March 2020 in Follower City Písek, with corresponding study visits, knowledge exchange and discussions. Due to COVID-19, the workshop was moved to digital format instead, and distributed across a series of Learning Sessions which took place in Spring 2020. This is described in more detail in D9.7 Report on Intra-Project Collaboration, Including Study Visits and Peer to Peer Workshops 3 .  34

The Learning Sessions aim to support the Follower Cities in their development of Positive Energy Blocks, including a wide range of topics such as how to work with building owners, how to engage with regulatory authorities, how to attract relevant innovation and start-up companies to collaborate, how to secure the necessary investments from public and private sources, how to identify RES for their respective PEBs in a manner that can be scaled up and replicated, and so forth; in short, how to organise and structure the process of developing a Positive Energy Block. The topics of the learning sessions are developed during the monthly Executive Board meetings as well as dedicated meetings with and among the Follower Cities.  

The Learning Sessions are open to all project partners, and provide a good arena for documenting the processes that take place in the project, including local experiences that might be difficult to extract into written guidance documents. The sessions support the alignment of expectations among partners, Tasks and Work Packages, in an informal manner. While this alignment formally takes place within the Technical and Executive Boards (among WP Leads and Cities, respectively), we see that subtle differences in collaboration cultures, communication routines and internal quality assurance procedures, amongst others, come to light more easily in informal discussions, enabling us to make them explicit and take them into account in the continuation of the project.  

The outcomes of the learning sessions are fed back into the project towards guidance documents (WP7) and Follower City feasibility studies (WP6). In addition, they are used as input towards the development of SCIS Solutions Booklets in cooperation with selected other SCC01 projects. 

 

34 D9.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/d9-7-report-on-intra-project-collaboration-including-study-visits-and-peer-to-peer-workshops-3/   

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8.2 Climathons +CityxChange will organise at least 9 Climathons (2 per LHC, 1 per FC) during the project                               period, to engage with local start-ups, citizens and other stakeholders. They are an                         important means to reach local stakeholders. Where possible, cities aim to participate in                         the Climathon yearly events. Climathons are part of the global Climate-KIC network and                         answer specific climatic challenges a city is facing. Participants share and develop their                         ideas during a 24-hour challenge. A jury of local and project stakeholders will select the                             most promising ideas. The Climathons are linked to the Innovation Playground framework                       developed and implemented in the LHCs and FCs through WP10. The first two climathons                           were organised simultaneously in both LHC and took place during/after the first consortium                         meeting in Limerick. For the second year, climathons are in preparation. However, the                         COVID-19 pandemic and the related limitations of in-person meetings as well as uncertainty                         of changes result in no clear situation of the possibilities in 2020. Either, the events will be                                 online, or they might be postponed to a later point.  

8.3 Master classes Using the outcomes from the project, NTNU (Trondheim) and UL (Limerick) will organise a                           minimum of two master classes at their institutions to ensure dissemination and transfer of                           knowledge to the academic and industrial communities; participation will open to                     academics in other institutions and industry professionals. In addition, NTNU contributes                     with an ‘Experts in Team’ course for Master students. In the bigger picture of                           communication the master classes are a means to address the target audience of the                           student and continuing education community and fulfil education ambitions. The                   organisation of master classes is ongoing on both academic institutions and will continue                         during the course of the project as well as feed into other ongoing educational activities. 

8.4 Storytelling Workshops Ten Storytelling workshops are organised as part of the WP9 activities. The primary goal is                             the exchange of “trial-and-error experiences on how to create robust support among local                         politicians and stakeholders, create justifiable impacts, manage complex projects across                   divergent interests, goals, and needs, build targeted networks locally and internationally,                     support capacity and assess strengths and weaknesses, mobilise demonstration and                   research partners, develop Intellectual Property (IPR) agreements, distribute               responsibilities, create an appropriate storyline, vision and profile for their city, and arrange                         successful partner workshops between LHCs and FCs. Lastly, the workshops will build at a                           later stage on the replication profiles which are created as part of Task 8.1: Replication                             Assessment of +CityxChange solutions. In the beginning, the workshops primarily focus on the                         elements and justification of stories. At a later stage, the bi-directional character of                         storytelling as a support tool for fostering collaboration and co-creation will be in a stronger                             focus. In the final phase of the project, the current outlook of the storytelling workshop                             planning suggests a focus on the transmedia storytelling as a tool of sharing the gained                             experience and knowledge as part of disseminating the project to the public, other projects,                           

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and the academic and private sector, as well as guaranteeing local and regional societal and                             political support. The workshops shall raise the awareness and sensibility towards the                       opportunities and potential, as well as providing practical guidelines, approaches and                     techniques to integrate storytelling in the respective local communication, dissemination                   and citizen engagement strategies. The results and progress of the storytelling workshops                       is annually reported in the deliverables +CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other                     LHCs and FCs 1-5 (D9.6/M12 , D9.11/M24 , D9.16/M36, D9.21/M48, D9.26/M60). 35 36

8.5 International conferences, papers and scientific articles The scientific community is further reached by conference presentations, papers and                     scientific articles (see also section 5.5). +CityxChange will actively present project evaluation                       and experiences at a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed conferences and in 5 scientific journals,                           to support the validity of the innovation activities and demonstration projects and to                         promote development and exploitation of +CityxChange’s open innovation and                 cross-cutting issues (Task 9.1: Intra-Project LHC and FC Cooperation) in research. This is                         described in more detail in D9.2 and D9.4 with the latest updates in D9.7 Report on                                 37 38

Intra-Project Collaboration including Study Visits and Peer-to-Peer Workshops 3  39

 As part of Task 10.5: +CityxChange Masterclasses, Publications and Presentations, scientific                     publications from partners, especially the universities are developed. The project uses an                       internal publication process to ensure relevant IP protection (D11.1 Overall Consortium Plan                       and respective Updates ) and aims to make all publications available under Open Access                         40

conditions (D11.5: Data Management Plan (Initial Version) and respective updates).                   41

Publications including metadata are added to the Knowledge Base on the Website, and                         42

are disseminated through the respective partner processes and the scientific community.  Furthermore, representatives of the project are frequently attending international                 meetings, workshops and conferences, as well as city and industry events. Due to the                           COVID-19 outbreak, most of the events that were scheduled for 2020, have been moved to                             an online format. While we see the strong importance of face-to-face interaction and                         exchange and try to return to it once possible, we embrace the advantages of the virtual                               realm. For example, more participants from each partner can participate, recordings can be                         used and/or published afterwards, as well as more regular check-ins organised. The                       

35 D9.6 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/storytelling-report-1/ 36 D9.11 will be available after submission at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/ 37 D9.2 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/report-on-intra-project-collaboration-including-study-visits-and-peer-to-peer-workshops/  38 D9.4 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/d9-4-report-on-intra-project-collaboration-including-study-visits-and-peer-to-peer-workshops-pending-approval/  39 D9.7 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/d9-7-report-on-intra-project-collaboration-including-study-visits-and-peer-to-peer-workshops-3/  40 Confidential, not publicly available. 41 D11.5 available at: https://cityxchange.eu/knowledge-base/data-management-plan-initial-version/ 42 Research outcomes available at: https://cityxchange.eu/article-categories/research-outcomes/  

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approach we follow for the online events is to ensure that workshop and meeting types are                               adapted accordingly (e.g. more breaks) and more attention is paid to everyone being able                           to speak up, as well as more interactive formats by utilising survey and whiteboard tools.                             Our consortium meeting and learning workshops where project cities and partners share                       information and knowledge have been adapted to an online format, with several learning                         workshops spanning over a longer period. The list of virtual meetings is only a selection                             among all the events that our consortium partners have participated in. Furthermore,                       some events are also presented and described in detail in our News Section on our                             website. An excerpt of the list of attended international events is shown below.   In person meetings ( November 2019 - February 2020):  

● Smart City Expo World Congress (19-21 November 2019, Barcelona) ● Berdeago - Basque Sustainability Fair (31 January-02 February 2020, Berdeago,                   

Spain) ● World Urban Forum (8-13 February 2020, Abu Dhabi, UAE) 

 Virtual meetings, selection (March 2020 - October 2020) 

● Webinar: Bold City Vision Framework in Practice (24 April 2020) ● Workshop: Regulations and possibilities for PED replication (06 May 2020) ● PED Talk: The European Reference Framework on Positive Energy Districts and                     

Neighbourhoods (08 May 2020) ● Investment Workshop (12 May 2020) ● Learning session: Pathways to PEBs - Võru, Sestao and Smolyan (14 May 2020) ● Learning session: Pathways to PEBs - Pisek, Alba Iulia (15 May 2020) ● Webinar: +CityxChange Citizen Participation Playbook - A roadmap to meaningful                   

engagement (27 May 2020) ● EIP-SCC Online Matchmaking (15-17 June 2020) ● EU Sustainable Energy Week 2020: How to make smart city projects bankable in                         

times of COVID 19? (30 June 2020)  ● EU Sustainable Energy Week 2020: Creating a joined vision for PEDs (30 June 2020) ● ISOCARP Cyber Agora: Virtual public planning participation - Hype or new normal?                       

(14 July 2020) ● General Assembly, EIP-SCC (02-03 September 2020, hybrid event, online/Brno,                 

Czech Republic) ● City Engage Week - Local renewable energy, Limerick (14-18 September 2020) ● Nordic Edge Expo 2020 (23 September 2020, hybrid event, Stavanger, Norway) ● Sustainable Places 2020 (27-30 October 2020) 

   A record of all activities is kept in a shared online sheet. The goal/strategy of attendance will                                 vary during the project and for different aspects:  

1. present the project, inform, connect with future dissemination partners 2. engage, involve, gather input for the ongoing research 3. test the solutions, validate research 

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4. transfer knowledge, exploitation 5. dissemination of results 

 Another important delivery method is the ISOCARP network of urban and regional                       planners, which has members in more than 85 countries. Continuous programs, like the                         Young Professional Planners program (YPP) and the Urban Planning Advisory Teams                     (UPATs) are set up for knowledge transfer across the globe; further strengthened by the                           activities of the research spin-off – ISOCARP Institute – which concentrated on global                         training and capacity building, research facilitation, and support of urban practices. 

8.6 The Final Project Report and Final Project Event  The Final Project Report and Final Project Event embody the last phase; the wide                           dissemination of results across all demonstrations and cities in the project. By then the                           project will have positioned itself as forerunner and prime example for many small and                           medium sized cities. The research frameworks have been tested and the results are                         disseminated at national, EU and global levels.   In addition, the annual ISOCARP World Planning Congress (2018 Bodø/Norway, 2019                     Jakarta/Indonesia, 2020 virtual, 2021 Doha/Qatar, 2022 Brussels/Belgium…) contributes to                 the dissemination across the globe. Later versions of the communication plan (M36, 48)                         will include a more detailed setup of the final report and final project event. 

8.7 Other activities which include engagement and communication The project includes activities which are not primary means of communication, but which                         include engagement of stakeholders. For these activities, communication is very important                     and they are therefore part of the communication strategy. WP10 leader ISOCARP will                         frequently contact the task leaders to ensure alignment with the communication strategy:  

1. To embed the project in the community of practice, the gearbox; 2. the local involvement to contribute to the research (engage, interact, test, etc.); 3. disaggregated indicators to measure the output. 

 Included are the following activities. These will be followed up with the individual task                           leaders for better alignment  

● D3.3: Framework for DPEB learning and education (T3.3) [M24]  ● D3.4: Framework for a Positive Energy Champion network (T3.4) [M24]  ● D3.5: Framework for DPEB Innovation Labs (T3.5) [M24] ● D4.2: Limerick 2050 Bold City Vision and Guidelines [M36]  ● D4.3: Limerick Citizen Observatory [M30]  ● D5.2: +Trondheim 2050 Bold City Vision and Guidelines [M36]  ● D5.3: +Trondheim Citizen Observatory [M36]  

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● D6.2: Bold City Vision 2050 for each FC [M36]  ● D6.3: Report on community participation and playground results [M54] ● D8.2: Report on ‘get involved’ workshops and facilitation of replication across 20 EU                         

cities [M60]  ● D8.3: Report on market and Stakeholder analysis [M36]  ● D8.4: Report on the identification and assessment of exploitable results [M48]  ● D8.5: Report on IPR protection plans, agreements and exploitation plans [M54]  ● D8.6: Report on commercialisation plans for different solutions and markets [M60]  ● D9.7: +CityxChange storytelling workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs [M24, M36,                     

M48, M54]  

 

   

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9 Conclusion This document showed the outline of the communication goals; the context in which they                           have to be implemented; the strategy, how to do that; the organisation and finally the                             means by which the goals are addressed.   The communication will address both local audiences and stakeholders in the                     +CityxChange cities and the broader community of practise, research, governance. This                     includes (networks of) cities, professionals and academics and the European stage.   The strategy formulated includes three elements:   

● Gearbox for embedment into the wider community of practice. This is how the                          project will address the broader community of practise. 

● Local involvement. This is about communication at city level and the                      contribution of engagement to the research project. The cities will form a                       roundtable or learning community to exchange best practises. 

● Tracking and monitoring communication efforts. This is to measure the reach                      and impact of engagement and communication. 

  The outreach will change over time, first to inform, then to engage to collect and validate,                               then knowledge transfer and finally dissemination of project results.    As communication is integrated into multiple work packages, a wide scope of means is used                             as a delivery method. As the other work packages develop further, the communication                         strategy will be refined. This integrated effort will maximise the engagement at local city                           level, the exploitation to other cities and the wide dissemination across the EU.   

   

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10 References European Commission (2015). Actions towards implementing the Integrated SET Plan. 

Retrieved from https://setis.ec.europa.eu/actions-towards-implementing- integrated-set-plan [Accessed 20 October 2019]. 

  European Commission (2016). Communication from the Commission to the European 

Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, and the European Investment Bank: Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/ files/documents/1_en_act_part1_v6_0.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019].  

  European Commission (2017). Smart Cities and Communities. Retrieved from 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/lc-sc3-scc-1-2018-2019-2020 [Accessed 20 October 2019]. 

  +CityxChange (2018a). Annex 1 (part A): Innovation Action.   +CityxChange (2018b). Annex 1 (part B): Positive City ExChange – +CityxChange.   

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