How One Participation Challenge Sparked Systemic Transformation 📍 Cluj‑Napoca, Romania

This article was written by Jonathan Reyes from Democratic Society. The support described was delivered in collaboration with NetZeroCities colleagues from Dark Matter Labs, Climate-KIC and Eurocities. Photo by Tamas Pap on Unsplash

How can a single climate project become the starting point for transforming the way a city governs its entire climate transition?

In this case study Net Zero Cities City Specialists tell the story of how they supported city staff in Cluj-Napoca, Romania on a specific participation challenge that became an entry point for building networks, capacities and cultures for long-term climate action. It illustrates how cities can move from isolated projects to systemic change and guides readers through NetZeroCities resources that they can apply in their own context.

Our Accompaniment Path: from “who” to “how”

To support Cluj‑Napoca in their challenge, we designed a process in three blocks. Each block answered a question (who?, what?, how/where/when?) and contained practical exercises to move from abstraction to action.

Block I: understanding the ecosystem of actors (WHO)

The first step was to map the ecosystem of actors of climate action. We used the lens of the quintuple helix to identify not only public and private actors, but also universities, media (including local influencers) and civic organizations. The municipal team classified each actor as frontrunner, supporter, influencer, detractor or most affected group, and detected which groups were key but still not involved (for example, young people). In parallel, we built personas for those target groups, exploring their motivations, barriers and behaviors. This exercise made it possible to transform abstract categories into concrete profiles and to detect proxy stakeholders: actors already connected to the city who could act as bridges with youth and other marginalized groups. By crossing the map and the personas, gaps and potentials emerged: which voices were missing, who could build bridges and which pre-existing community networks we could strengthen. NetZeroCities Resources used: 

• NZC Civic Environment Mapping Tool - Printable canvas or Miro Board
• Personas Canvas - This resource describes what personas are and supports to build personas that fit in your context

Block II: mapping the strategic portfolio (WHAT)

With the actor map in hand, we turned to visualize the Climate City Contract as a portfolio. The goal was to link each climate action with the actors involved and assess whether there were proxies to reach the youth. To do this, we applied a version of the portfolio approach focused on mapping the involvement of the different stakeholders: a tool that transforms the portfolio into a visual map where one can easily identify in which actions actors are involved, where they are missing and how we can better connect with the target groups.  From this portfolio mapping, we identified three ways to turn insights into action:

• Identify synergies and gaps: see where there was already multisectoral collaboration and where not; locate actions without youth presence and opportunities to introduce it.
• Prioritize actions: the city felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the climate plan; therefore we defined criteria to select the actions with the greatest potential impact and youth involvement.
• Translate gaps into micromissions: small missions aimed at mobilizing specific actors to fill participation gaps and build trust.

NetZeroCities Resources used:

• Portfolio Mapping Guide

Block III: designing the engagement process (HOW / WHERE / WHEN)

The last block focused on turning the findings into a concrete participation strategy. Based on the personas and the mapped portfolio, we worked on a narrative canvas and on the design of an engagement roadmap, both tools that allowed us to turn intuitions into actions:

• Build narratives and messages: using the narrative canvas, we analyzed the interests, fears and desires of our target persona (the youth) and co-designed messages capable of connecting with their reality. This included identifying what motivates them to participate, what barriers they perceive and what tones or metaphors resonate with them. At the same time, we mapped the channels and spaces where the youth move — from social networks and universities to cultural collectives — to adapt the format of the messages and maximize their reach.
• Identify and mobilize allies: besides thinking about the youth directly, we worked on recognizing allies within the ecosystem (youth organizations, university professors, community leaders, local influencers) who could serve as bridges. For each ally we identified common interests and opportunities, and designed negotiation strategies that allowed us to attract them and turn them into active partners in disseminating the narratives.
• Design the engagement roadmap: on the basis of the narratives and allies, we structured a sequence of micromissions with timelines, responsibilities and expected results. This roadmap had to be flexible — adaptable to learning and changes — and at the same time concrete to guide implementation. The micromissions acted as low-risk experiments that allowed testing and adjusting messages, strengthening the relationship with allies and consolidating youth presence in priority actions.

NetZeroCities Resources

• Shaping Climate Narratives & Activation (Canvas)