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News Archives - Page 2 of 21 - TRANSFORM

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Citizens have a key role in political decision-making and the TRANSFORM pilot project is a clear example of this. Yesterday, the Catalan cluster that has led this citizen science pilot project, presented the results and conclusions to members of the Mollet del Vallés council, to contribute to the improvement of the municipal selective waste collection system.

The TRANSFORM project brings together three European regions (Lombardy, Brussels capital and Catalonia) to experiment with different innovative participatory methodologies. Specifically, in Catalonia a citizen science pilot has been carried out in the city of Mollet del Vallès to contribute to improving the selective collection of municipal waste. The Catalan cluster has used citizen science as an instrument to move towards a greener, more digital, resilient and fairer socioeconomic model.

For this pilot project, “Dilemma R“, a digital game on waste was co-designed as a tool to inform citizens about innovative selective collection systems (smart containers and door-to-door waste collection) and, in turn, gather their preferences and barriers when implementing them. In the design process, a participatory model has been followed, based on co-design methodologies, involving the maximum number of actors involved.

This process was carried out through a total of four sessions in which different profiles of citizens of Mollet, different departments of the city council and the students of the Degree in Management of Smart and Sustainable Cities of the UAB participated. Later, the digital development of the game proceeded.

TRANSFORM Catalonia waste pilot

Once “Dilemma R” had been created, 60 students from four educational centres in Mollet (Institut Vicenç Plantada, Escola Sant Gervasi, Center d’Estudis Mollet and Escola Anselm Clavé) put it into practice with their families and with citizens at street level to collect enough information to process and analyse it.

Through this app, it has been possible to collect evaluations, preferences and barriers of citizens regarding innovative selective collection systems. In addition, this tool has also had a double impact: on the one hand, it has increased public awareness of these innovative waste collection systems, and on the other, it has contributed to generating active awareness of the environmental impact of waste, contributing to co-responsibility.

With the “Dilemma R” game, 402 valid responses from the citizens of Mollet have been collected; The results make it possible to identify trends that serve as a guide for the city council in making decisions on how to implement a new waste collection system.

As a result of these answers, a results report has been prepared that has included the recommendations made both by the professional research team and by the Mollet students themselves. 10 conclusions stand out:

Degree of knowledge of citizens about the waste collection system

  • Knowledge about innovative systems is low and knowledge about the current selective collection system does not reach 50%.
  • The vast majority of people who have declared they have no prior knowledge on the subject, have acquired it through Dilemma R.

General preference of citizens for smart containers or for the door-to-door system

  • The vast majority of people surveyed have opted for smart containers.
  • As an exception, in the Santa Rosa neighbourhood, the preference for door-to-door delivery and smart containers is very similar.

Relevance that different variables may have as barriers or facilitators of the adoption of the new systems by citizens

  • Most of the people surveyed are sensitive to the environmental issue and in favour of receiving economic incentives for the use of new systems, despite the fact that this implies limitations to their privacy (that the city council has more information about the recycling practices of each person) or practicality (for example, time or calendar limitations when disposing of rubbish).
  • Economic incentives seem to have a greater potential as facilitators of the adoption of the new systems than the environmental benefit, except when faced with the possibility that the new systems generate more dirt on the street.
  • There is a similar number of people who choose to receive economic incentives at the individual level and at the collective or community level
  • Privacy limitations have not emerged as a very relevant aspect when opposed to environmental benefits, much less when opposed to economic incentives.
  • There are two aspects of practicality that deserve attention as possible barriers to implementation: 1) the time and calendar limitation associated with the door-to-door system; 2) the possibility that the new systems will generate more dirt on the street.
  • For people aged 65 or over, the complexity of using a card or a mobile phone to activate the containers appears as a more relevant barrier than having to adapt to a schedule or a calendar.

Impact on public policies of Mollet

As a result of these conclusions, the Mollet students and the professional research team involved in the project have drawn up a series of recommendations associated with the conclusions of the study. These recommendations range from the development of information and environmental education campaigns, to proposals for the implementation of economic incentives to increase the separation of waste, through the design of specific actions to support the elderly in the use of the new systems.

“Participating in this TRANSFORM pilot project has been very important for two reasons: first, to be able to know the opinion of our citizens. We want to make changes to our waste management model, and we need to know what they think and what they know. Second, through citizen participation we have been able to learn about proposals raised directly by citizens, and we want to study them because they are realistic and interesting. Thanks to all this participatory process, we have been able to know what citizens want, fear or do not see clearly, in order to make better decisions at the public policy level.”

Raúl Broto, First Deputy Mayor of Mollet del Vallès

As proof that citizen science can have an impact on public policies, on June 28 the Mollet del Vallés city council approved the new contract for cleaning public space and waste collection for the next 5 years. The objective of this new contract is to intensify street cleaning and increase the selective collection of the municipality to 60% in 2030, complying with European regulations.

Some of the proposals from the pilot that have been evaluated and incorporated into the new contract for the city’s waste collection service are, for example, implementation of smart containers in some neighbourhoods of the city or the need to use additional resources to avoid littering the street due to uncivil practices.


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Photo by Ouael Ben Salah on Unsplash.

17 November 2022

Sala Pirelli – Palazzo Pirelli, Via Fabio Filzi, 22 Milano, Italy 

On 17 November 2022, Fondazione Giannino Bassetti, Region Lombardy and Finlombarda will host their final regional event to showcase the outcomes of the Lombardy regional cluster of the TRANSFORM project. The meeting will be an opportunity to present TRANSFORM’s journey in Lombardy and its contribution to regional Research and Innovation policies, but also to talk more broadly about the role of citizens in policy making on issues such as data-driven innovation and the fair energy transition for all. 

Do you want to know more? Do not hesitate to register.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The event will then focus on TRANSFORM activities in Lombardy and the issues addressed in the citizen engagement journey. In addition to in-person participation, the meeting will be broadcast online on the Open Innovation website. 

Opening session 

Participatory research agenda setting 

  • Defining the regional strategic research and innovation agenda in a participatory way: the first set of participatory activities focused on the theme of the just energy transition by Anna Pellizzone, project manager, Fondazione Giannino Bassetti
  • How to integrate citizens’ ideas and needs into regional strategies: Lombardy’s Three-Year Strategic Program for Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer by Silvia Corbetta, Finlombarda  
  • Key note speech: “Just Ecological Transition for All. The role of citizens and society” by Enrico Giovannini, Professor at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

TRANSFORM Citizen Jury 

  • Results of the TRANSFORM Citizens Jury dedicated to responsible smart mobility by Anna Pellizzone, Fondazione Giannino Bassetti
  • Integration of citizens’ recommendations into smart mobility policies in the Lombardy Region by Matteo Pozzetti, Directorate General for Education, Universities, Research, Innovation and Simplification, Lombardy Region
  • Key note: Role that citizens can play – reflection on accountability issues related to data-driven services, including aspects of privacy and data protection (some of the elements considered most important by TRANSFORM’s Citizens’ Jury participants) by Guido Scorza, a member of the Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali

Discussion and closing remarks

  • TRANSFORM results and citizen participation in Research and Innovation decision-making by Agnes Allansdottir, University of Siena, a scholar of the relationship between science and society and an expert in methodologies for consulting citizens and monitoring public opinion on the impact of technologies and technosciences, chosen by the Region as one of the ten components of the Regional Forum for Innovation and Scientific Research 2018-2021
  • Closing remarks by Angela Simone, TRANSFORM coordinator, Fondazione Giannino Bassetti 

Learn more about the Lombardy cluster here.


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Photo by REVOLT on Unsplash

 

Privacy and accessibility among priority issues according to TRANSFORM’s Citizens’ Jury. 

On Saturday, June 25, EU-funded project TRANSFORM concluded the participatory process to collect recommendations from citizens living in Lombardy on the topic of smart and responsible mobility.

The Citizens’ Jury, composed of a total of 24 people, took place over two days. At the end of the second day, participants were able to present their suggestions on data-driven Smart Mobility, delivering the final recommendations directly to representatives of the Lombardy Region.

The Jury, organised by Bassetti Foundation, which is also coordinating the entire TRANSFORM project, opened with an information phase with experts, which took place on June 11, and allowed citizens to gain more knowledge about both technological aspects and ethical and social issues that can arise when it comes to data-driven mobility services. Two weeks later, the Jurors met again and were invited to think collaboratively about issues related to responsible mobility and, from these, to develop concrete recommendations for regional decision makers.

The discussion phase on responsibility aspects related to Smart Mobility took place in small groups and plenary sessions, accompanied by professional facilitators. The results of the discussion among the groups of participants identified six main issues: privacy, profiling (automated collection and processing of personal data), territorial inclusivity and inclusivity for disadvantaged groups, affordability and digital accessibility, accessibility to information about the existence and operation of services, and security, also understood as cybersecurity.

From the considerations that emerged, the second part of the meeting served to elaborate and refine the recommendations, defining their “objectives” and “measures” to be put into practice.

Lombardy region

The final recommendations were unanimously approved by the Jurors, who at the end of the process showed great satisfaction with their involvement in the deliberative process, stating that they appreciated the opportunity to express their voice and feel active as citizens, in an area that directly affects them such as land use planning and related services.

The recommendations were taken on board by the Lombardy Region, which will take them into account in the planning and implementation of its actions within the regional Smart Mobility programs.


EU flag This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 872687. This website reflects only the authors' view and the REA and the EC are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Project Coordinator: Angela Simone Fondazione Giannino Bassetti angela.simone@fondazionebassetti.org
 
contact: info@transform-project.eu