URBAN WINS

UrbanWins was a project funded by the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program, which studied how cities consume resources and products, and how they eliminate the waste produced, in order to develop and test innovative plans and solutions aimed at improving waste prevention and management. These strategic plans were tested in eight pilot cities across six European countries: Austria, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Spain.

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Launched in June 2016, the project analyzed current strategies for waste prevention and management in a total of 24 cities and assessed how they contribute to resilience and resource efficiency. The project followed the urban metabolism approach, considering cities as living organisms that use natural resources and create flows of materials and energies. The results were used to define objectives and indicators of the Strategic Plans for Waste Prevention and Management in the eight pilot cities: Cremona, Torino, and two cities within the Metropolitan City of Rome (Italy); Bucharest (Romania); Leiria (Portugal); and Manresa and Sabadell (Spain).

 

A key part of the project was the active participation of citizens, governments, organizations, suppliers, research institutes, and educational centers through physical and online agoras in the eight pilot cities, where participants could share opinions, discuss ideas, and plan solutions.

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The participatory approach was an added value of UrbanWINS, as the vision of all relevant players for waste production and management at the urban level was taken into account to co-develop new strategies and co-test innovative solutions. Recommendations and tools were transferable to other urban contexts. The final outcome of the project was a toolkit for participatory and science-based decision-making and planning for waste management that can be applied by any public authority across Europe.

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UrbanWINS aimed to shift to more sustainable consumption and production patterns and to enhance better waste management to improve urban quality and citizens’ welfare.

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The three-year project was coordinated by the Municipality of Cremona, Italy, in partnership with 26 partners including cities, NGOs, and companies. In Romania, the partnership included the Municipality of Bucharest, the Romania Green Building Council (RoGBC), the ECOTECA Association, ECOTIC, Global Innovation Solution, and the ENVIRON Association.

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RoGBC’s specific role in the project included providing expertise on tools to engage the construction industry to reduce waste and create circular economy solutions. Additionally, RoGBC facilitated the launch and development of the “online agoras” to engage the target audience in the participative process, increase participant commitment and involvement in decisions and actions, and communicate the results to all stakeholders.

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