What do citizen-inclusive policy measures for reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions look like?

ClairCity is a Horizon 2020 funded project responding to the call ‘Improving the Air Quality and Reducing the Carbon Footprint of European Cities’ (SC5-4-2015). The project is working across six cities in Europe to engage the public on issues of air pollution, carbon emissions, public health and wellbeing and the future of their cities and regions. The project takes a novel approach to understanding air pollution, carbon emissions and their impact on citizen health and wellbeing. Using a sociologically informed perspective, the project shifts the policy focus from technology and technological solutions to taking a closer look at the problems. ClairCity will use innovative modelling and quantitative analysis to examine the role of people and society in creating pollution. By better understanding these behaviours and processes, successful policy interventions can be developed to meet local needs. Core to the project are a set of innovative tools that will allow city residents to participate in understanding the problem, visioning the future and backcasting to achieve results for their city.

The key objectives of the project are:

  • ClairCity will put citizens’ behaviour and activities at the heart of air quality and carbon management and policy making (WP3 and WP4)
  • ClairCity will develop a suite of innovative toolkits for enhanced modelling, engagement and impact evaluation (WP3, WP4, WP5)
  • ClairCity will explore the integration of citizen’s behaviour in relevant city policies and ensure that future city policies are reflective of citizen’s visions for their future city (WP6 and WP7)
  • ClairCity will raise awareness of air quality challenges and their solutions through proactive dissemination of outcomes and realisation of the innovation potential and impact (WP2)