In my role at DML I am part of the NetZeroCity Arc, supporting the EU's "100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” Mission. My work involves supporting cities to develop Climate City Contracts that are centred around Just Transitions and systemic portfolios of coordinated actions across multiple domains (e.g. technology, governance, policy, finance innovation, social innovation).

In addition to the cities themselves we work closely with a consortium of 30+ partner organisations, including EIT-Climate KIC, DemSoc, Demos Helsinki, Viable Cities, Metabolic, and many more. NZC is funded by the European Commission.

The Almaty Air Quality Portfolio, a UNDP and Dark Matter Labs initiative, addressed Almaty’s air pollution using systemic portfolios and distributed governance approaches. By merging data-driven analysis with community engagement, the project explored practical interventions, such as green zones, pollution monitoring, and community-driven air quality improvements. The project aimed for Almaty to shift from isolated projects to a cohesive, multi-level strategy, blending policy change, public engagement, and technology to create adaptable, long-term solutions for urban resilience and cleaner air. I contributed to the methodological development of novel portfolio approaches as well as training events and documentation.

The RISE Cities program was launched by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt and aims to advance responsible leadership in cities and global knowledge of resilient, intelligent, sustainable, and equitable (RISE) cities.

From 2022 - 2024, I shared insights on designing equitable public spaces, designed and hosted the masterclass on systems thinking for public innovation, and provided one-on-one coaching support for 40+ tandems of public servants and project leaders from 20+ cities throughout Europe.

Berlin's smart city strategy outlines a vision for combining urban development with digitalisation to improve quality of life. Since 2020, as part of the federal Smart City Model Projects, Berlin develops and implements its strategy and eventually merged it with their digital strategy into Gemeinsam Digital Berlin.

I supported the team at CityLab Berlin in designing the communication strategy for the participation and development process of the strategic framework, with a particular focus on democratic inclusion, participation and activation of Berlin's diverse citizenry.

The New Hanse, initiated by Hamburg-based think tank The New Institute, investigated in collaboration with the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg the relationship between urban digital infrastructures, access to and deployment of data for the public interest; with tangible data-driven pilot projects that addressed real world challenges for the city of Hamburg. The New Hanse aimed to showcase the potential of a citizen centred digital green city in a close collaboration between administration, science, industry and civil society.

We supported the team around Francesca Bria in the inaugurational phase through methodological design, strategic planning, and stakeholder management, focusing on identifying a core data challenge. We conducted expert and user interviews to explore mobility needs, regulatory frameworks, and transparent business models in close collaboration with an international team.
Outcomes and the final report are published at The New Hanse