Transformation agencies to involve local economic actors in the green and energy transition
Examples from Valencia, Vienna and Leuven
Local governance
To meet their ambitious climate objectives, such as becoming climate neutral, several cities are developing new tools like local agencies to bring together and transform the production processes of the economic actors in their areas, and thus involve them in the green and energy transition.
These new bodies operate outside local authorities’ departments but work closely with it. Their aim is to activate and boost the local economic ecosystem, relying mainly on project-based innovation.
A missing tool to structure a region’s transition
French and European local authorities should be able to involve local businesses in their efforts to respond to the climate challenges they face, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation, especially to achieve the objective of being climate neutral by 2050. Until now, local authorities have been primarily interested in decarbonisation and adapting their own services and skills, sometimes considering citizens’ inputs through surveys but rarely including economic actors in their policies.
The role of agencies as enablers and drivers of change
These new tools must not only drive and organise the local ecosystem, but also act as enablers. They should work alongside public authorities to involve as many economic actors as possible in the green and energy transition, which is crucial given the climate challenges being faced, the commitments made by governments, the European legislative framework and the cities’ will to implement these new policies at a local level.
