AGORA: Pilot Case Study in Malmö, Sweden

The AGORA Project

The AGORA project promotes societal transformation to empower local communities to address the climate crisis. AGORA aims to achieve this through a multidisciplinary, integrated approach and four pilot studies all around Europe.

AGORA is a HORIZON Europe project which started in January 2023. It supports the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Introduction

The Swedish pilot case study collaborates with the City of Malmö and Public Housing Company MKB. The pilot case study engages a range of stakeholders including civil society, academia, private sector, and non-profit organisations. The focus of the pilot case study is on heatwaves and their effect on vulnerable groups in the city. The pilot case study explores questions including:

• Who is affected during a heatwave and in what way?
• How can their vulnerability be reduced?

With this knowledge, we can better understand how the City of Malmö, as a municipality, can work to support citizens to deal with extreme heat and at the same time create more equitable and just adaptation to climate change.

Activities so far

AGORA held its first pilot activity in the city of Malmö, Sweden on the 12^th of September 2023, an inception workshop where a wide range of stakeholders were invited to discuss climate adaptation and social vulnerability. The workshop focused specifically on adapting to heatwaves in Malmö and aimed at co-exploring and co-creating a shared understanding of who is affected and why, whilst taking into consideration both social and physical factors.

To read more about the inception workshop please see here: Kicking off the first AGORA pilot study in Malmö, Sweden – AGORA (adaptationagora.eu).

Figure 1. Inception workshop in Malmö, Sweden. (Credit: AGORA project)

A second workshop was taking place on the 13th of February, which brought together stakeholders from the public administration and civil society. The aim was to co-explore adaptation strategies for creating a heat resilient city in which no one is left behind. Using a participatory forecasting tool by the SMHI, participants drew pictures to illustrate how a climate-adapted city looks and functions. Participants called for nature-based solutions, multifunctional urban spaces, and car-free cities to ensure urban resilience in a changing climate.

For more information about the second workshop, please see here: 2nd workshop of the AGORA pilot study in Malmö, Sweden – AGORA (adaptationagora.eu).

Figure 2. Diagrams from the inception workshop. (Credit: AGORA project)

Next steps

The findings from this workshop build the foundation for further investigations, aimed at delving further into urban heat vulnerability and local adaptation strategies. In the next pilot phase, the project team will invite citizens to participate in focus group discussions to co-evaluate innovative engagement methods and co-create local adaptation solutions.