Context
As part of the European Commission’s Mission 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (Mission 100), the City of Ljubljana was chosen to develop and implement an innovative action plan to reach climate neutrality by 2030. Recognising that systemic change requires top-down policies, cross-sectoral collaboration, and bottom-up participation, the city established the Ljubljana Innovation Hub – Mission 100 (Innovation Hub) to serve as a bridge between ambitious climate goals, stakeholders, and everyday life.
Opened in November 2023, it is a centrally located physical space in the historic Kresija building. It is a direct response to the need for inclusive, visible, and practical ways to inform and engage public institutions, non-governmental organisations, businesses, citizens, and other stakeholders in the city’s climate transition.
Objectives
The Innovation Hub is thus a (long-term) initiative designed to:
- cultivate collaboration between civil society, businesses, academia, NGOs, public institutions, and various municipal departments;
- offer free consultations to individuals and companies on energy efficiency, sustainable retrofitting, access to funding, and green business practices;
- promote social inclusion by offering accessible programming and a welcoming physical space for all residents and visitors;
- make climate neutrality understandable and relevant to citizens by translating complex strategies into practical, everyday actions;
- support behaviour change and encourage sustainable living through workshops, creative events, exhibitions, and public discussions;
- act as a replicable model for other cities in Slovenia and Europe, showcasing how local governments can build citizen-centred climate engagement;
- serve as a testing ground for innovative public communication methodologies by integrating behavioural science through the SHIFT project, enhancing data collection, and developing evidence-based approaches to climate change communication.
Implementation
Since 2023, the Innovation Hub has:
- maintained daily operations offerings such as energy consultations, hosted the Abandoned Plants Sanctuary and held information materials on all sustainability projects and actions in the city;
- hosted over 170 events and welcomed more than 7100 visitors, increasing attendance yearly through practical and engaging activities such as bike service stations, pop-up repair shops, lectures, exchange events, exhibitions, and children’s workshops on sustainability;
- welcomed international delegations from across Europe and other continents to share Ljubljana’s sustainability practices;
- collaborated with a wide range of partners including NGOs and academia as well as other public institutions;
- supported interdepartmental collaboration within city administration, acting as a cross-sectoral coordination space;
- established the groundwork for a Mobile Unit to reach under-represented communities and expand engagement beyond the city centre, to meet citizens where they are.
The Hub thus plays a central role in Ljubljana’s participatory-communication strategy and the Mission 100 engagement framework, acting as both a communication platform and a catalyst for cultural change. It supports building local ownership of the climate transition and contributes directly to the city’s progress towards decarbonisation, climate resilience, and inclusive and sustainable urban development.