NetZeroCities learning programs

Through the EU Mission Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, European municipalities are taking centre stage in the fight against climate change. Cities are both major emitters of greenhouse gases and powerful agents of transformation of public administrations’ role. Recognizing this novel role of municipalities, the team of the Department of Design is leading a variety of learning activities for European cities, including an online course, in-presence seasonal schools and events specific for Italian cities.

Networking and learning events for Italian Cities

The event Accelerare la risposta delle città italiane alla crisi climatica co-organized in Rome in June 2025 by the NetZeroCities team of the Department of Design, marked an historical moment for Italian cities. The unique location of the 2000-year-old Temple of Hadrian hosted the first official dialogue between Italy’s nine Mission Cities (Bologna, Milano, Torino, Firenze, Parma, Padova, Bergamo, Prato, Roma), the national government (represented by the Minister for Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin), the European Commission (including the Deputy Manager of the EU Cities Mission Philippe Froissard), and the European Investment Bank.

This gathering marked a crucial step forward in strengthening multilevel governance for climate action in Italy, fostering alignment between the ambitious Climate City Contracts and national energy and climate strategies. 

Organised with the support of the Department of Design, the sole Italian partner in the NetZeroCities platform, and RENAEL, the event marked the beginning of a new phase of collaboration to advance ambitious and inclusive urban climate policies. The involvement of the Covenant of Mayors, ANCI, and the Local Agenda 21 Network highlighted the growing commitment of Italian cities toward achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Next February 25-26th 2026, a national capacity building national event will be organized in Italian aimed at strengthening the capacities of Italian cities interested in consolidating their pathway toward climate neutrality, through practical workshops on the methodologies tested within the framework of the Mission. The event will be an opportunity to foster the creation of a national community of practice for climate neutralityin cities, in collaboration with energy agencies, universities, municipal networks, and key national stakeholders.

Information on the event Città e comuni per la transizione energetica e climatica taking place in Rome February 25-26th 2026, can be found at the dedicated page.

Further information in Italian can be found at the page dedicated to the available resources and the events organized in Italy for Italian cities.

Free online planning lab for all cities

The NetZeroCities online learning programme took place from September to December 2025, and offered 26 sessions to support municipalities, policymakers, researchers, and consultants developing their cities’ action plans to reach climate neutrality. It was attended by 220 participants across Europe.

The programme built on the experience of 112 Mission Cities that have already developed their Climate City Contracts, drawing valuable lessons from their pathways toward climate neutrality. Structured as a project-based lab, the free online programme guided participants in developing a Systemic Action Plan for their specific city. This approach encouraged hands-on learning rather than passive content consumption. By engaging with NetZeroCities tools and resources, cities learnt to work across sectors, break down institutional silos, and align governance, finance, and technology in service of their climate transition goals.

Over a period of three months, the programme unfolded through six interconnected modules, delivered twice weekly for a total of 26 sessions organized in modules and delivered by 50 experiences lecturers with the testimonials of 29 cities. Each of the six modules, summarized in a dedicated document, focused on a key dimension of systemic transformation, from understanding the NetZeroCities platform and mobilising local ecosystems, to designing integrated climate action plans, leveraging technical and citizen-led solutions, unlocking climate finance, and aligning local efforts with national policy frameworks.

The course emphasized systems thinking, collaboration, and innovation as critical enablers of change. Participants learned how to identify leverage points for action, activate stakeholders across sectors, and connect local priorities with European policy frameworks. Real cases from Mission Cities provided concrete insights into what works, what fails, and what can be scaled up across Europe. Participants who attended all core modules received a certificate of completion. A series of 6 interactive visualizations provide a recap of the key course content.

Seasonal Schools for the 112 Mission Cities

The Seasonal Schools organised by NetZeroCities for the 112 selected Mission Cities, constituted a significant mechanism for accelerating the transition of European cities toward climate neutrality. These in-person, intensive events gathered municipal representatives, urban practitioners and change-agents from across Europe and were embedded within the broader NetZeroCities Capability Building Programme for the Mission Cities.

The Seasonal Schools served multiple interlinked purposes: they reinforced learning, created strong peer-networks among cities, and provided structured spaces for cities to address barriers in Climate City Contract (CCC) planning and implementation.

The first edition was held at the Department of Design and Como branch of Politecno di Milano in 2023, followed editions held in Stockholm, Madrid, Milan, Santander and Budapest. Cities are invited to present their own implementation challenges, engage in social simulations, and work collaboratively on stakeholder engagement, governance, financing and portfolio-mapping topics.

The 6th edition was held at the Department of Design in June 2025 with a specific focus on Speeding Up the Energy System Transition to Climate Neutrality. All seasonal school are two and a half day in-presence event, that bring together about 30 cities for immersive workshops, peer-exchanges, and scenario exercises. This edition – dedicated to energy – addressed portfolio-mapping at district level, integrated monitoring & learning (MEL), governance models and Policy Instruments for Decarbonised Networks.

The intensive in-person training for municipalities fostered connections among city teams, which can support replication of practices and mutual support beyond the event itself. Through simulations, workshops and peer reflection, city teams were encouraged to challenge assumptions, anticipate obstacles (such as governance bottlenecks or financing gaps) and analyze their action plans iterations. The Seasonal Schools strengthened the collective capacity of the Mission Cities by aligning them with EU-level frameworks, tools and networks: they represent a model of intensive, peer-centred, system-oriented capacity building for European cities navigating the path to climate neutrality.

The NetZeroCities project is coordinated by Climate-KIC, and brings together 34 leading city networks, research organisations, and urban stakeholders from 13 countries. For the Department of Design, Francesca Rizzo is the scientific coordinator and the research team consists of Marzia Mortati, Sabrina Bresciani, Emma Puerari, Beatrice Gobbo, Lucia Nogales, Angelica Gomez, Morgan Ricard, Rohit Mondal, Francesco Ripa, and Alessandro Deserti.