NEWS

Fellow Cities Exchange Programme: Three Sessions, Countless Insights

The WeConnect Fellow Cities Exchange Programme brings together WeGenerate Fellow Cities for peer-learning workshops, hands-on exercises and thematic exchanges. To date, three sessions have been held:

WeConnect #1 | Analysing Problems & Mapping Stakeholders (22 November 2024)

The inaugural WeConnect session helped Fellow Cities confirm their priority intervention areas for replication roadmaps. A Problem-Solving Tree was used to identify root causes in chosen zones, then participants mapped key actors with a Power/Influence Stakeholder Matrix. The group refined tailored lists of stakeholders and explored when and how to engage. The session also introduced themes that would be further explored in the upcoming ethics discussion during the Cascais study visit.

WeConnect #2 | The Role of Circular Economy in Urban Regeneration (22 January 2025)

In the second exchange, experts from VTT and ICLEI introduced circular economy principles and urban regeneration case studies. Following a plenary presentation, cities formed breakout groups to explore how digital twins, heritage preservation, behavioural change and sharing-economy models can be integrated into local strategies. This interactive format enabled municipalities to envisage practical applications - from closing resource loops to leveraging cultural assets—and outline next steps for embedding circular approaches in their WeGenerate journeys.

WeConnect #3 | The Power of Energy Refurbishment (26 February 2025)

The third session spotlighted energy refurbishment as a catalyst for climate-resilient urban transformation. ICLEI’s representative emphasised holistic renovation - combining advanced building materials, renewables integration and community co-design and presented AEGIR, a project that showcased modular, AI-driven retrofit solutions. The Head of Buildings Department at REGEA and a representative from the city of Łódź presented large-scale renovation results and shared lessons on people-centric financing models and one-stop-shop approaches to accelerate the renovation wave across Europe.

These sessions have fostered practical knowledge exchange, co-creation and clear action points - setting the stage for WeConnect #4 and beyond.