Over the past four years, KNOWING has brought together researchers, public authorities and local stakeholders in four European demonstrator regions. The project combined applied climate research and integrated modelling with stakeholder co-creation and tools for civil society empowerment. At the KNOWING Final Event in Vienna on 29 April 2026, representatives of the demonstrator authorities explained how they are already using the results in regional climate strategies and follow-up projects.
A central focus was the development of integrated, cross-sectoral pathways connecting climate mitigation and adaptation across energy, mobility, infrastructure, land use and nature-based solutions.
Integrated pathways for regional climate action
In Granollers, integrated modelling is helping the municipality combine climate adaptation, energy and urban development. The pathway supports investments in sustainable drainage systems, water-retention infrastructure and nature-based solutions that reduce flood and heat risks while improving public spaces and quality of life.
In Tallinn, the pathway links mobility, energy and urban greening. Heat-risk analyses help planners identify vulnerable areas, while green infrastructure can provide cooling, retain water and create more attractive urban environments.
In Naples, KNOWING supported the integration of energy planning, disaster preparedness, urban development and nature-based solutions. Green infrastructure can complement technical measures by reducing heat, retaining water and improving environmental quality in densely built neighbourhoods.
In South Westphalia, the pathway addressed the expansion of wind energy in a forested region. It connected renewable-energy development with forest protection, biodiversity and land-use management. Practical guidance was developed for reducing the impacts of access roads, construction areas and soil disturbance and for restoring temporarily used land.
From modelling to coordinated action
The Final Event showed that the strongest results emerged where modelling and local expertise developed together. Public authorities and regional stakeholders helped define the questions, interpret the results and translate them into feasible pathways.
The presentation of the System Dynamics approach demonstrated how interactions, feedback loops and potential trade-offs between sectors can be made visible and considered when designing integrated climate strategies.
This co-creation process enabled the demonstrators to combine measures that are often planned separately and to assess possible trade-offs. KNOWING also developed practical guidance for reducing cross-sectoral response risks—for example, where adaptation measures affect energy demand, mobility, biodiversity, land use or social inclusion.
The project’s impact is already visible. Existing climate strategies are being accelerated and extended across sectors, concrete exploitation and follow-up projects have been launched, and policy briefs have translated the findings into recommendations for different political and administrative levels.
The Knowledge Base brings together climate risks, impacts, measures, modelling approaches and project results in a searchable platform, making the knowledge generated in KNOWING accessible for future planning and research.
The DSS is complemented by practical engagement tools, including the Stakeholder Engagement Blueprints, Playful Trainings and the Shape Your Future app.
Together, these results demonstrate KNOWING’s central contribution: effective climate action emerges when mitigation and adaptation are planned together, sectoral measures are combined into coherent pathways, and scientific evidence, administrative expertise and stakeholder knowledge are integrated from the beginning.