12 July 2024

Understanding the broader stakeholders needs and challenges for urban green data spaces

During the last few months, the USAGE project has continued its exploration and understanding of the policy and data landscape in our four pilot cities: Ferrara, Graz, Leuven, and Zaragoza. In the previous round, over 45 stakeholders from different municipal departments were surveyed to shed light on critical elements of the socio-technical systems in each city, including current policies, data and technology solutions, as well as actors’ needs, and challenges related to the use of data for green. This round of analysis broadens our focus to include stakeholders of the urban ecosystem, coming from the private sector, third sector and academia. 

Leveraging (quality) data to frame climate challenges and design optimal solutions is instrumental for the successful achievement of European Green Deal goals. However, data is often spread across various organisations and actors. The potential value of a data space is bringing together actors who will enable data sharing and (re)use to address climate challenges. Alongside data, it is crucial to engage diverse stakeholders, facilitate the exchange of expertise, and involve the community for an effective implementation of urban green data spaces. Private sector stakeholders can bring technical expertise, the third sector can provide insights into community needs and social impacts, and academia can contribute research and analytical skills. This diversity enables a more holistic approach to addressing climate challenges.

In collaboration with city public authorities, we aim to understand the broader community of stakeholders in the pilot cities. We have been interviewing relevant stakeholders to clarify their current involvement in climate change activities; their potential roles and contributions to the defined use cases; and the value they see in data exchange and application within these use cases. Additionally, we are identifying other exchanges happening between stakeholders, such legal support, expertise and skills, citizen involvement.

To foster stakeholders’ engagement in the process of data space structuring, public local authorities equipped with related tools play a crucial role. Beyond their position as data creators and collectors, they can provide a technological infrastructure for integration (e.g. open platforms, portals) and promote data standards, interoperability, and most importantly, a governance framework.

In the coming months, we will publish updates of our findings. Stay tuned!