Cookbook on virtual interactive exchange formats for cities (D4.2)

The ‘Cookbook on virtual interactive exchange formats for cities’ is a collection of virtual collaboration methods tested and evaluated during the Horizon 2020 INTERLACE project. It is however more than just another list of methods and tools, as it is specifically tailored to the needs of cities and public authorities that want to build networks on nature-based solutions (NBS) and ecosystem restoration. It guides the reader through specific interactive exchange formats, describing when and reasons why they were applied during the city exchange process. The reader can then follow the transparent evaluation process to determine the benefits of applying it according to his or her own needs.
Moreover, this report takes a step back and looks at city-to-city exchange processes in larger groups as well as in city pairs, both of which are applied within INTERLACE. The findings from these regular meetings in different group sizes show a clear picture of the advantages and disadvantages of each individual format and guide replicators in their decision of how to organize the exchange between cities.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all meetings were conducted virtually. As a consequence, getting to know each other and setting a common ground and understanding was one of the first and most important tasks of the city exchanges. This is also reflected in the number of warm-up exercises and online methods aimed at this goal. It was a particular challenge to build the collaboration merely online, but the available methods and tools were able to replace the physical meetings to a large extent. This is good news for future projects and cooperation processes that will rely more heavily on virtual exchange mitigating CO2 emissions from traveling.

So, who is this Cookbook for?

• Public authorities and cities wishing to engage in fruitful exchange with other cities
• City networks aiming to build an inclusive environment for sharing and learning among their members
• Academia, companies and other actors working with a diverse range of stakeholders on the design and implementation of NBS