Towards the final version of challenge-led system maps

2025, January 9

During the USAGE journey of designing and developing urban green deal data spaces (UGDDS) in the four pilot cities of Ferrara, Graz, Leuven, and Zaragoza, we promoted a sociotechnical system view to frame local climate challenges from a policy, data, and stakeholders’ perspective. This approach fostered a tight alignment between the use cases (technical specifications of data space’s potential) and the local ecosystem of policies and stakeholders. As discussed in a previous news item, in the process of use case development we emphasised the importance of considering  the diverse needs of city stakeholders, beyond local government authorities, in the structuring of UGDDS. Below we present some findings on non-governmental stakeholders’ experiences and challenges with climate and data sharing initiatives, and reflect on how these elements come together to shape the policy making process. 

Community stakeholders and their needs

While local government authorities are often the largest stewards of city data, a network of private, third-sector and academic actors also play a vital role in the urban data ecosystem. The aim of our analysis was to understand current patterns of data collaboration around green deal priority areas and the complexities of these interactions. From the interviews emerged the appreciation of the efforts deployed by local authorities, for instance, in harmonizing and publishing data on open portals (e.g., Zaragoza), or in promoting community engagement for Nature-based Solutions (e.g., Leuven). However, a range of informational, organizational, and technical needs were also highlighted by the interviewed stakeholders. Across the pilot cities, some identified challenges included:

• The need for a shared framework for data standards and the integration of diverse data sources;

• Access to high-quality, reproducible and real-time data to support actionable insights;

• Arrangements to facilitate the collaboration and interaction among different actors in the ecosystem.

Beyond these technical challenges, governance-related barriers emerged as critical for developing effective local green deal data collaborations. These include ensuring equitable access to data, balancing competing stakeholder priorities, and integrating data-sharing practices into local policy frameworks.

Taking stock of USAGE-developed resources in the context of local policymaking  

In the final iteration of our analysis, we will provide evidence on how to enable data-driven decision making for climate change in the four pilot cities. To that end, we will determine and assess the relevance and innovation potential of USAGE-developed resources for the decision-making process and how they meet local policymaking requirements. We will provide actionable recommendation on how to integrate technical innovations with robust governance structures and stakeholder collaboration. Stay tuned!