ACT – Accelerating Just Climate Transitions in Urban Regions

How can you accelerate fair transitions to climate-neutral and climate-resilient neighbourhoods in different cities in the Netherlands? Within the ACT programme, scientists and climate professionals from the field are developing the agenda for climate transition and local action plans in neighbourhoods in Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Maastricht. This is being done in collaboration with local stakeholders, such as entrepreneurs and residents.

The work programme ‘Accelerating Climate Transitions in Urban Regions’ (ACT) was officially launched in November 2024 on the initiative of KIN. It is the first work programme developed by KIN and the result of a series of transdisciplinary co-creation sessions with participants from science and practice, such as governments and civil society organisations. During these co-creation sessions – known as KIN Crutzen workshops – the foundations were also laid for the current KIN Approach. Based on the outcomes of these meetings, the frameworks within which the ACT programme will operate were determined and an agenda was drawn up.

Local action plans

Over the next three years, researchers and local stakeholders, including residents, housing associations, civil servants, local entrepreneurs and sustainability professionals, will join forces to work together on local action plans within ACT. This will take place in various neighbourhoods in Rotterdam, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and South Limburg. The aim of the various local ACT project teams is to facilitate better cooperation between the local parties involved and to provide maximum support to citizens and other actors in the neighbourhood. ACT will do this by drawing on knowledge and skills from various scientific disciplines and innovative practical experiences.

Joint work packages

The work programme and collaboration are further detailed in seven work packages. Each work package focuses on a specific research question and objective. In the four cities and neighbourhoods where the ACT programme is active, consultations are currently taking place on the precise details of the work packages for each city and neighbourhood. Concrete details have already been finalised for a number of packages.

The ACT Work Programme aims to deliver target group-oriented approaches for each work package, such as training programmes and manuals. The results of the various work packages of the ACT work programme will be shared on this website.

View Work Packages

‘The Sustainable Neighbourhood’

In the podcast series “De Duurzame Wijk” (The Sustainable Neighbourhood), Rob van der Rijt, an entrepreneur and researcher affiliated with the ACT work programme, delves into sustainable climate initiatives in various neighbourhoods in the Netherlands. You’ll find the podcast at the bottom of the page on every article. The podcast (in Dutch) features initiators and residents who are committed to their neighbourhood. Why do they do this? And with what results?

Listen to this podcast