The new IEA SHC Task63 report part 1 and part 2, issued last month, presents an integrated framework for engaging stakeholders in solar neighborhoods, incorporating insights from behavioral science to enhance the effectiveness of participatory processes. The analysis was carried out also thanks to our researchers experts in solutions for climate resilient and sustainable cities, social sciences and integrated urban design.

Stakeholder and citizen engagement has a very important role, it involves the active participation of various types of actors, who become active participants in the planning and implementation of transformation processes of cities and neighborhoods. The study discusses the current state-of-the-art in stakeholder engagement methods in urban planning, and analyses also examples of stakeholder engagement activities that have been carried-out in the context of real case-studies.

A real case in Italy, described in this report, is represented by the European project FP7 SINFONIA, which has been a five-year initiative to deploy large-scale, integrated, and scalable energy solutions. This project carried-out its technological interventions without relocating the residents during the renovation works. In this way, the project created an environment to promote the engagement of the residents and change their energy behaviors.

The report stresses the importance of engaging with various stakeholder groups throughout the project lifecycle, emphasizing the benefits of a participatory approach in creating co-created outcomes. It highlights also the opportunity to leverage insights from behavioral science to promote virtuous energy behaviors and increase participation in outreach events.

It's fundamental to raise the awareness of the importance of stakeholder engagement in the context of solar neighborhood planning and effective engagement strategies: Integrating behavioral considerations in engagement processes can help to achieve a deeper and more meaningful citizen participation, leading to the success of urban planning projects.

Always in the same framework, another scientific work entitled "Towards the development of legislative framework for solar neighborhoods" was recently published in the Frontiers Journal as part of the ongoing IEA SHC Task63 project. Here the link to the article