Ongoing dissemination and engagement
ClairCity may have finished its project term , however our team continue to disseminate the findings .
Several of the research team presented at prestigious conferences . Enda Hayes , Kris Vanherle and Laura Fogg-Rogers presented at the iEMSs Conference 2020 in September and Laura , Margarida Sardo , Vera Rodrigues and Sophie Laggan jointly presented at EU Green Week a few months earlier in July 2020 . There were also several virtual European events organised by WHO Europe Environment and Health in 2020 where Eva Csobod ( REC ) disseminated ClairCity findings .
A number of spin-off citizen engagement projects have emerged from ClairCity . One , involbing TML and UWE , is
WeCount - an 18-month citizen science project , involving residents in the collection and analysis of traffic data , and links to the initiative for
Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation . Another is to be found in Sosnowiec and Ljubljana . The cities have both been successful in becoming pilot cities for the prospective “ Data Aggregation for Climate Change and Mitigation – TORCH ” project . The application was submitted on the 26th of January 2021 . Fingers crossed for a positive outcome !
In Portugal , our academic partner The University of Aveiro ( UAVR ) is working on the “ Aveiro STEAM-City ”, an
Urban Innovative Action . The project aims to help companies rethink the resources they need to innovate , grow and attract a new range of talent ( including from the creative arts and humanities ) to the digital innovation opportunities presented by STEAM . STEAM- City focus on three use cases : mobility , energy and environment , with UAVR leading on the latter . This third use case focuses on an impact assessment of transport planning on air quality . An Aveiro Hub with innovative interactive displays for the public will complement the assessment . Data from a network of sensor deployed across the city for monitoring air quality , meterological conditions and noise levels , will feed into the displays . The ClairCity quantification outcomes will support the modelling work of STEAM-City .
Papers on the results of ClairCity are in the pipeline from our University partners - stay tuned for announcements on their personal and organisational social media channels .
Engaging participants online
ClairCity was swift to adapt their Communications strategy to enable online disseminate of their work , and to train its staff in online methods .
When lockdown struck , the team sprung into action with a plan that would allow case study partners to continue influencing their cities and regions online . Guidelines were developed for partners on how to influence policy online , and the conference became a series of webinars .
Communications Coordinator Sophie Laggan subsequently attended a virtual five-part training course on how to move multi-stakeholder dialogue online . Together with her experience from using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to deliver the webinars , she has since developed a
Best Practice Guide on Moving Dialogue Online . It is available for all to access freely . On September 23rd the Science Communication Unit invited all the ClairCity staff to a training session on moving conversations online to equip them with the skills they need for delivering future projects under a climate of restrictions .
Laura Fogg-Rogers , Communications Manager , and Vera Rodrigues from the University of Aveiro , were among the ClairCity staff to make use of the new opportunities presented by disseminating online . For Laura , it saw her taking the plunge into the world of ‘ Facebook Live ’,
being interviewed by Extinction Rebelion Bristol about ClairCity findings relevant to the city . Vera , meanwhile , took part in a children ’ s webinar series for the annual Week for the Changing Climate , organised by the municipality of Oliveira de Azeméis . “ My talk was about climate change , with a special focus on our actions to adapt and mitigate climate change ,” explains Vera . “ The title was inspired by our climate change infographic : A better future is possible – how will you play your part ?”. Around 210 9-12 year olds attended , representing 9 classes . Both Laura and Vera enjoyed interacting online and both agreed it allowed them to reach more people .
To learn more about Vera ’ s event , and ClairCity ’ s role in engaging young people , head to our website where you can read the
relevant blog post .
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