SmartEnKIT Tutorial

We’re not imposing any strict rules for navigating the SmartEnKIT – remember, this is your experience and however you prefer to tackle the toolkit is very much allowed and welcomed. Here are just some options for you to consider:

     A. You know what, I prefer it my way. 

Yes, free will! Just go, ignore whatever comes next and enjoy your time exploring the map!

     B. Hmmmm, I could use some tips.

Sure thing! We designed SmartEnKIT in a way that supports two main tracks. Think of what you would like to do today – (1) to explore and learn more about what SmartEnCity has been up to, hopefully getting a good dose of inspiration; or (2) to get into action right away and start using some of the tools that could help to make the Smart Zero Carbon City vision a reality in your city. 


                                                   SmartEnKIT main tracks

Depending on your mood, you could take a stroll on either of the SmartEnKIT’s two main streets. After hearing all about the SmartEnCity story at the coffee shop, we advise you to start from the tourist information office though – that symbolizes SmartEnCity’s final publication called “The Journey Towards Zero Carbon Emissions – A Travel Guide for Cities”. We feel that this publication covers the main outcomes of the project well and could spark your interest towards one or the other street. Or one street today, the other tomorrow? Whatever your path is going to look like, be sure to meet us again at the train station on your way back home so we could say farewell!

     C. Just give me structure!

Don’t worry, we’re here for you. Take a deep breath and off we go on the SmartEnCity replication tour!

1. If you haven’t heard about the SmartEnCity story yet, stop by the coffee shop and let us tell you all about our cities’ journeys so far.

2. Start from the tourist information office in the upper left corner of the map and browse the Travel Guide.

3. Find the “I want to explore more” street. On this street, the order of the tools is not that important, but here’s a suggestion anyways:

  • Start with the dissemination tools neighbourhood in the bottom left corner of the map – this is great for a general introduction to the SmartEnCity project and its activities and has several good resources to browse, including videos(symbol - cinema), newsletters (symbol – news kiosk) and webinars(symbol - school). We’ve also thrown in some scientific publications (symbol - library) – some of these are more general in addressing smart city topics and are good for getting to know the underlying concepts, some are more hardcore and should probably be tackled after/together with taking a look at the “I want to get into action” street.
  • Continue with the Lighthouse City solutions neighbourhood in the center of the map – this is a deep-dive into the specifics of the smart city solutions that the three Lighthouse Cities demonstrated, including energy efficiency solutions (symbol – renovated apartments), mobility solutions (symbol – bus station), ICT solutions (symbol – communication tower) and citizen engagement solutions(symbol – innovation lab).
  • Go to the SmartEnCity Network neighbourhood in the center of the map – this one’s dedicated to the awesome SmartEnCity Network (symbol - expo) community that surrounds the project and provides access to a wealth of information that the Network cities have been up to. For even more learning, there’s the opportunity to take a look at the SmartEnCity Academy(symbol - university), Network bulletins (symbol – post office) and external resources (symbol - marketplace).

4. Find the “I want to get into action” street. You’ve now entered the integrated energy planning territory! Here, it makes sense to follow this logic:

  • Go to the Cities4ZERO neighbourhood in the upper right corner of the map – the main methodological framework of the SmartEnCity project can be tackled as follows:
    • Start with the City Check-up Assessment (symbol - hospital) - this questionnaire is a great way to understand the Cities4ZERO process better, helps cities to understand exactly where they fall in the framework and guides the next steps that can be taken towards a smart zero carbon future. Hard to explain, easy to fill out – just take the 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire and you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
    • Go on by exploring the Cities4ZERO methodology (symbol – town hall) in more detail. As the key outcome of the SmartEnCity project, the Cities4ZERO methodology offers a step-by-step strategy for smart urban decarbonization. As such, once you have the results from your check-up assessment, you’ll understand how the framework can work for you and which steps to take next. As you will discover, Cities4ZERO also involves the next three tools in this neighbourhood that we think are particularly relevant to explore.
    • Look into the Foresight methodology (symbol - lighthouse) that the SmartEnCity project used. We think this is especially relevant for co-creating and/or reviewing the zero carbon vision for your city. Whether you’re looking to draft or update an Integrated Energy Plan (IEP), a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or a replication roadmap for your city, Foresight is a great tool that can help cities in setting their course and mobilizing quadruple helix stakeholders at scenario and vision-building workshops.
    • Continue with monitoring and evaluation (symbol – observation wheel). We’re sure we don’t really have to explain why monitoring and evaluation are crucial in integrated energy planning processes. After all, we can’t really improve what we don’t measure! Learning from the SmartEnCity monitoring framework will help you fix appropriate indicators, measure performance, track progress and assess outcomes.
    • As the last step, focus on IEPs and replication roadmaps (symbol - bridge). The IEPs and replication roadmaps delivered in the SmartEnCity are a testament to the relevance and applicability of the Cities4ZERO methodology to various city contexts. However much influenced by local factors, the environment, the technical, legal and social aspects, cities can still get valuable results from following the same methodology. That’s the key to benefitting from Cities4ZERO – you have to make it your own!
  • Stop by the Energy Planning tools neighbourhood next to the train station – in whichever order you decide to explore these, both EnergyPLAN (symbol – green factory) and the Energy Balance Tool (symbol – green plant) are valuable planning exercises for cities to go through in order to inform their zero carbon strategy development and boost their Cities4ZERO experience. These are the energy planning tools that will be there to help you, once you’ve identified your status in the Cities4ZERO framework and decide how to move on.

5. You’ve made it to the end of our city tour! Here we are at the train station, waving you goodbye. What will you be taking with you from the SmartEnCity replication tour? What are the things that clicked with you? What are the steps that you can take today to move towards a zero-carbon future in your city? This is a good time for reflection before leaving SmartEnCity.

Tutorial takeaways 

So how do you start or boost the process of transitioning to a Smart Zero Carbon City? We believe the key is in learning and taking action. We truly hope you can both learn something from the SmartEnCity experience as well as put it into action. When it comes to actual planning processes, we acknowledge that depending on the current status of each city, the point of departure can vary as some methodological steps might already be fulfilled. That’s the beauty of Cities4ZERO – once you know how to position yourself in the framework, support and advice is offered to take that next step. The tools and methodologies that the SmartEnKIT presents are widely applicable, but they can also serve specific purposes, supporting policy-makers and other relevant stakeholders in developing Integrated Energy Plans (IEPs) or Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) for their cities. Go on then, we believe in you!

How to use & tips

Here's the toolkit menu for you once again:

  1. Coffee shop – SmartEnCity story
  2. Tourist information centre – A Travel Guide for Cities
  3. School – Webinars
  4. News kiosk – Newsletters
  5. Cinema – Videos
  6. Library – Scientific publications
  7. Renovated apartments – Energy efficiency solutions
  8. Bus station – Mobility solutions
  9. Communication tower – ICT solutions
  10. Innovation lab – Citizen engagement solutions
  11. Expo – SmartEnCity Network
  12. University – SmartEnCity Academy
  13. Post office – Network bulletins
  14. Marketplace – External resources
  15. Hospital – City Check-up Assessment
  16. Town hall – Cities4ZERO methodology
  17. Lighthouse – Foresight methodology
  18. Observation wheel – Monitoring and evaluation
  19. Bridge – IEPs and replication roadmaps
  20. Green plant – Energy Balance Tool
  21. Green factory – EnergyPLAN
  22. Train station – Replication takeaways

                                     SmartEnKIT suggested replication tour

Now that you might know how you want to approach the SmartEnKIT, we advise you to get the SmartEnCity basics right before really starting to explore the tools – for this, stop by the SmartEnCity story and the Travel Guide for Cities!

Link to more information: 

Read the full tutorial here - SmartEnKIT downloadable content