The Strategic Use of Citizen Engagement in Local and Regional Governance Systems: First Insights into Models and Approaches by Cities in the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission

This paper presents the results of a thorough review of the provisions for citizen engagement in local and regional policy planning. It looks into approaches used by more than 40 cities participating in the Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities to engage citizens in the co-creation of policies addressing climate neutrality targets until 2030. It builds on the experience of the European Commission’s Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy hosted by the Joint Research Centre with reviewing Climate Neutrality Action Plans, and identify proposed models and supporting provisions for the engagement of citizens. By taking into account the complexities inherent to the co-creation of policy solutions, it discusses in particular how such participatory models – adopted or desired by the cities – fit more broadly into relevant policy cycles. The paper proceeds with a discussion of aggregated findings on existing and needed competences and capacities, anticipated impacts emerging from the proposed citizen participation activities, and the identified barriers to the planning and implementation of meaningful participatory processes. It then concludes by presenting the lessons learned on the (potential for) utilisation of participatory processes and outputs in a strategic, comprehensive and accountable way, asserting that citizen engagement in local and regional governance systems be not only a nice-to-have, but a must-have policy-impacting instrument.