Citizens’ Assembly to choose the best proposals in four environmental areas

The Citizens’ Assembly of the Bairro C: Compromisso Carbono Zero project will hold its next meeting on 8 February at 4.30pm in the Fraterna auditorium in Guimarães.

After two sessions in which proposals were analysed and devised in areas such as energy, mobility, waste and the circular economy and green areas and biodiversity, it was time for the participants to choose the three best proposals in each of these categories. This selection fulfils the main objective of the Citizens’ Assembly: to give the people of Vimarães an active voice in environmental decision-making, promoting effective solutions for the decarbonisation and sustainability of the municipality.

The Citizens’ Assembly is made up of up to 100 participants, 80% of whom live in the parishes that make up Neighbourhood C (União de Freguesias da Cidade, Creixomil e Urgezes). The remaining members represent other parishes in the municipality of Guimarães. This group guarantees gender equality and the inclusion of all age groups, from 16-year-olds to people over 65.

What is Neighbourhood C: Zero Carbon Commitment?
Developed by Guimarães City Council, Laboratório da Paisagem and RdA, and part of NetZeroCities, the ‘Neighbourhood C: Zero Carbon Commitment’ pilot project aims for an integrated approach in the fields of energy, mobility, waste and land use, leveraging behavioural change, social innovation, culture, politics, green technologies, sustainable finance and new business models. The key part of the project is a Citizens’ Pact for neutrality and co-creation processes, thus making it possible to act in all emissions domains. The project promotes strong citizen involvement and decarbonisation by, among other things, promoting the use of public transport, energy efficiency and local renewable energy production, particularly in historic buildings, and circular economy strategies.