March 2019

Author:Marcelline BonneauUIA Expert

Antwerp Circular South Journal N° 2

Project led by the City of Antwerp

CIRCULARECONOMY

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The ANTWERP CIRCULAR SOUTH project

The Antwerp Circular South project aims to position circularity as a community challenge for the New South district (a newly created district in Antwerp) and to engage its new residents in co-creating online and offline initiatives to change their consumption behaviours. A number of advanced technical solutions covering different resource streams (energy, water and waste) will be tested.

200 Circular South inhabitants will experiment with the so-called ‘behavioural nudging’, receiving cues to adapt their consumption behaviour of energy, water and waste in the most ideal circular way. Circular behaviours will be automatically rewarded by an alternative online currency, the Circular coin, through a blockchain- based reward and exchange system. A part of the most engaged Circular South participants will form a local energy community co-owning of an innovative collective energy system. In addition, a Circular South Community Centre will be set up to host a number of initiatives related to sharing, repairing and reusing activities.

Partnership:

• The City of Antwerp

• Vito/EnergyVille

• Digipolis

• Imec

• Pantopicon

• EnergieID

• De Kringwinkel

• Ecopower

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Table of Contents

1. ExecutiveSummary 4

2. Threeintroductoryhighlights 5

2.1 A new speed for community engagement 5

2.2 Co-creationasananchoredbaseline 8

2.3 Twoessentialstakeholders 8

3. Whathasbeenachievedinthelastsixmonths? 9

3.1 Technicaldevices 9

3.2 Back-officemodalities 10

3.3 Interface 12

3.4 Activities 14

4. On-goingchallengesandreadjustments 15

4.1 Co-creatingandintegratingonlineandofflineactivities 15

4.2 Facingtherealityofanewlybuiltdistrict 16

4.3 Broadeningupthegeographicalscaleoftheproject 16

4.4 Thetimeframeoftheproject… 17

4.5 …makesitnecessarytolookahead 18

4.6 Thechangeofprojectcoordinator 18

4.7 Overviewofchallenges 19

5. Whatarethenewlearningsoftheproject? 21

6. What’snext? 22

7. Acknowledgments 23

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1. ExecutiveSummary

Since the last visit to the project in September2018,ithasnowtakenshapeandmovedtowardsdirectimplementation:afteraone-yeargestationandconceptualisation,theactivitiesoftheprojectcan almost all be eventually carried out. It hasbeenpossiblewiththeadoptionofanembodiedparadigm in the way it addresses co-creationto foster Community-Building and, to ensurethat theproject is relevantly designed (e.g. thedashboard,thenudges,thecooperative,CircularCommunity Centre (CIRCUIT), with the strongpartnership with two essential stakeholders,PleinPubliekandDomitys.

In terms of technical devices, the PublicProcurements for smart meters (plugs andsensors) are finalized and the first devicesinstalled. The Public Procurements for PVs(Photovoltaics), BIPVs (Building-integratedphotovoltaics), storage batteries, are preparedand will soon be launched. As for the back-office modalities, the Community of NieuwZuid is increasingly engaged and the TransitionBoard ison itsway.Theuserprofilinghasbeendrafted and the nudging trajectory is currentlybeing designed. Procedures for data treatment(storage andprocessing) havebeenestablished

withadequateICTdesignsetupandinformationflows. Thebusiness logic forelectricity is done,itremainstobedoneforwaste.TheBlockchaintechnology is currently being conceptualisedtogether with the procurement procedures.

Intermsofinterface,thedashboardiscurrentlybeing co-created and the CIRCUIT is fullyoperational. As for the activities of theproject,the Energy cooperative, the circular coin andSmart contracts have been designed and theWaste challenge, 100-100-100 was one of thekey highlights of the past few months for theofflineactivities.

Thisisnotwithoutsayingthattheprojectisnotfacedwithnewchallengesthatrequireon-goingadjustments: on the “improvements in” butfurther “needs to” co-createwithin the projectand further integrate the online and offlineactivities, toadjust–onceagain– totherealitythat the project is taking place in anewly builtdistrict,whichhasledtotheneedtobroadeningup the geographical scale of the project. Thetimeframe of the project makes it necessaryto look ahead. Finally, the change of projectcoordinator at the level of the City opens upanewareafortheproject.

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2. Threeintroductoryhighlights

Insixmonths,theAntwerpCircularSouthprojecthas gone a long way. From theory, it has nowmovedtoconcreteimplementation,withvisibleeffects.More than the individual activities thatwere carried out, and nicely integrated ina comprehensive way, these last months haveseentheembodimentofaparadigmanchoredinthe functioning of the project, in the way itaddressesco-creation.

Indeed,duringthefirstphaseoftheproject,co-creationwiththecitizensmainlytooktheformofinformingandconsultingthemforthefutureofthe project, with an objective of Community

building. Although this objective has not beenleftaside,itisnowmoredeeplyincludedintheoverallobjectivesof theprojectand for theco-creationof thedifferentaspectsof theproject.As such, the aims of co-creation are currentlytwofold: to foster Community Engagement foritselfandincreasethebuy-inoftheCircularSouthproject and concept and, to ensure that theprojectisrelevantlydesigned(e.g.thedashboard,the nudges, the cooperative, CIRCUIT). Thesewouldbeimpossiblewiththestrongpartnershipwith two essential stakeholders, PleinPubliekandDomitys.

2.1 AnewspeedforcommunityengagementInordertofurtherdiffuseontheprojectalargeshare of thework has focused on promotionalmaterialandcommunicationproducts,both forstaticanddynamicpresentations:aninformationbooth,animationvideo,CircularSouthBrochureand fiches, overall campaign visuals, PPTpresentations for visits toCircular South, cards:“Dear neighbour… I registered for CS do you want to join?” Videomaterialandphotosoftheoverallprojecthavealsobeencombined.

OnlineinformationhasalsobeenincreasingwiththeproductionofamonthlyNewsletter‘CirculairZuid’ and presence on socialmedia via Twitter(@CirculairZuid), Hoplr, Whatsapp andFacebook(@CIRCUIT).

Yet, the highlights of these months have beenthattheprojectwentontothestreetsofCircularSouth by organizing breakfast sessions at the entranceofthesite(seeboxbelow);informationsessionsforthecooperativeandinstallingmeterswithin the building of Domitys; with theinstallation of two information screens in the streets.Thesemomentshaveservedasfeedbackfor the project partners on how and in whichwording to communicate and further exchange onthedifferentparts(energymonitoring,smartmeters,energycooperative).

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Theorganizationofeventssuchas“TheVintage& designmarket”, “New Year’s reception 2019”,“GesprekSTOF evenings every first Monday”enabledprovidingafestivetouchtotheprojecttogethertomakingitconcretetotheirneeds,as

the organisation of some of these activitiesactually come from thewishesof the residents(see the case of gesprekSTOF eveningsboxbelow).

Breakfasts@CirculairZuidAttheentranceofCircularSouth,ontheterraceofBarchelBar,theprojectwelcomedtwicecitizenstocomeandhaveacoffeeandcroissanttotalktotheminan informalwayabouttheirexpectationsfromtheneighborhood,upcomingprojects,…Adozenofresidentsattendedeachofthesebreakfastsandenabledputtingahumanandvisiblefacetotheadministrationbehindtheproject,tomakeCircularSouthconcrete,tocreatebondswiththeresidents, toget inputs for thenextstepsof theprojectanddevelopnew partnerships.

Source: City of Antwerp

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Partnershavehadtodedicatetimeandenergytotheseprocesses.Yet,inreturn,theyencounteredmotivated residents and have created dialogueand the possibility to be “doing CircularSouthtogether”.

Theinitiallearningsoftheseactivitiesshowthatthe main driver for interaction is socialconnection:theresidentswishtogatherinorderto exchange with each other rather than from

learning about the technicalitiesof theproject.Which is then the focus of dedicated co-creatingactivities?

One of the main issues as Nik Baerten fromPantopiconstresses regularly is to“maintaining the right momentum - frequency, variety, complementarity - of Circular South and community-driven/supportive activities will remain a challenge throughout the project”.

GesprekSTOFThe community night ‘gesprekSTOF’ (or ‘FABRICofconversation’) emerged from thedemandfortherestorationoftextilesandforcreativeengagementwithtextiles.CIRCUITgives it acircular twist byworkingwith collected residualmaterial andplastic. Someresidentsthemselvescooperateandhelpinorganizingthem,atDomitys.

Source: City of Antwerp

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2.2 Co-creationasananchoredbaselineThe partners have now adopted an approachwherebytheyfirstdesignaconceptorprototype(suchasmockdashboards)bythemselvesbeforesubmittingthemandexchangingthemwiththecitizens. In the next fewmonths, the samewillapply to possible options for the Energycooperative and for CIRCUIT, and for theinstallationofthesmartdevices.Thedynamicsof

thesesessionshavebeenhighlyproductiveandvalued in combining thedesign experience andexpertise of Pantopicon, together with thetechnical partners IMEC, EnergieID, and DeKringwinkel. Highlights of these co-creationmoments are scattered along the text of thisJournal.Highlightsoftheseco-creationmomentsarescatteredalongthetextofthisJournal.

2.3 TwoessentialstakeholdersTheproject could not be implementedwithoutthe strong support of two external partners.PleinPubliekisaneventorganiserwhichcreatedacontainer-builttemporaryeventlocationattheoutskirtofNieuwZuidandwhichagreedtohostCIRCUIT,afteritlostitsoriginallyplannedlocation(see the First Journal). PleinPubliek will alsoinstallBiPVandPVsonitsrooftop.Communicationofthepartnersisassuchalsostreamlined.

Domitys is a residence service located at theentranceofNieuwZuidwhichhasalreadyhostedseveralworkshops and activities, from the veryfirst one on composting in April 2018, to theinformationsessions,andtheVintageMarket.Itsmeeting rooms are visible to the pedestrianspassingbyinthestreets.Ithasalsoacceptedtohostoneofthetwoinformationscreensontheproject. It might also be one of the recipientsofthePVs.

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3. Whathasbeenachievedinthelastsixmonths?

Insixmonths,theprojecthasbeenabletolaunchandimplementmostofitsplannedactivitiesforthis period: more than anything else, it starts

beingconcreteandvisible,assummarisedinthetablebelowandpresentedexplained further inthe text.

3.1 TechnicaldevicesThePublicProcurementsforPV (Photovoltaics),BIPV (Building-integrated photovoltaics) andstoragebatteries,arenowshoppedupinseveralseparateprocurementprocesses,dependingonthe found location to host the installation. Thelocation for their installation is still underdiscussions.Forsure,PVswillbeinstalledontherooftopofPleinPubliekwhereCIRCUITishosted.

DiscussionsarecurrentlygoingonwithDomitysto host some as well. Negotiations are alsorunningwiththeBuildings1and3,andEcoPowerhas responded to the tendering procedures on thesocialhousingcorporationWoonhavenforaninstallation on the social housing buildings 7, 8and12.TheschoolshouldalsobebuiltwithPV(seepicturebelow,buildingnr.10).

Update on the Antwerp Circular South project

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ThePublicProcurementsforsmartmeters(plugsand sensors) are finalised and the first devicesare being installed. The project has alreadyidentifiedvolunteerstoinstallthemattheirflats.Aco-creationsessionwillbeorganisedoncethe

smartmeterswillbeavailabletodecidewheretoinstall them. Smart waste bins are alreadyinstalledthroughoutthewholeCityofAntwerp.The use of data from this stream is beingquestionedthough(seebelow).

3.2 Back-officemodalitiesAs presented above, theCommunity of NieuwZuidisincreasinglyengaged.Intermsofprojectsupport, the list of members of the Transitionboard has now been established: a publicprocurement will be launched and itscontributions to the project will beoperationalisedsoon.

Basedonthedatacollectedviathe100-100-100campaign(seebelow),notablyviaanexpostandex ante questionnaire, IMEC drafted its user profiling, which has enabled an initial analysisand benchmarking with regard to attitudestowardsthefourstreamsoftheproject.Notably,thedataofparticipantsshowedthatthesewere,not surprisingly, mostly women, middle aged

educated,alreadyadvancedintheirconsumptionpracticesandwilling to changeevenmore.Yet,even though this data would not enablesupportingthechangeofpracticesofthewiderpopulation, for this already advanced group itmakesitpossibletoidentifyadequatenudges.Ithas alsobeen theopportunity topilot someofthe methods/tools that will be part of thenudging trajectory. The nudges were discussedand tested during a co-creation workshop (seeboxbelow).

Procedures for data treatment (storage andprocessing) have been designedwith adequateICT design setup, information flows, whichincludes: the endpoint for ACPaaS data (push)

Buildings planned for the pvs (in red) (Source: City of Antwerp)

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reception and its information scheme; theendpoint for providing PV data to ACPaaS data(pull) and its information scheme; the datapipeline and data treatment and persistenceprocedures; the integration of the AntwerpenA-profile, to enable citizens to log in easilyandsecurely.

These are all being piloted in a HomeLab atIMEC’s premiseswith the specification of data,eventandnudgedataformatstogetherwithallinvolved partners and the development of

backend platform for remote monitoring andmanagementofthefieldtrialhouseholdsetups.

For the purpose of data analysis, the partnersdefined the required user context parametersthat will be used for the analyses (e.g. familycomposition, apartment characteristics, …) andthederiveddatawillbegenerated(e.g.percentileranks,stand-bypowerconsumption,…).

Digipolishasalsodevelopedanappforenablingall data exchange with the various projectpartners, integrated within Digipolis Antwerp’s

CO-CREATINGTHENUDGINGEXPERIMENT(13/11/2018)Basedon theprofile informationof theparticipantsandtheavailable logdataabouttheirengagementinthecampaign(i.e.thewasteweightstheyenteredonthewebsite)IMEC and Pantopicon organized aco-creationworkshop, whose goal was to identifythewaytheydealwiththeirwaste,theirmotivationsandbarrierstoparticipateinthecampaignandbasedon this information,defineanudge that couldbe implementedwithin the campaign. It was an occasion to meet the needs of the residents with those oftheprojects.Duetotechnicalities,thefirstnudgethatwasidentified(changingthetimingofreceptionofthechallenge’snewsletter)couldnotbeimplemented.Yet,thelearnings(suchasanticipating)havebeenintegratedinthenextstepsoftheproject.

Source: City of Antwerp

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platform. This app organizes the data by topics(e.g. sensor data, nudges…) to which one cansubscribeorpost.

The businesslogicforelectricityisimplemented,it remains to be done for heat andwaste. TheBlockchainsystemiscurrentlybeingdeveloped.Yet,itisnotclearyet,whatdatatheprojectwill

be able to use, which might question theexperimentationphase:

• For heat, the service provider agrees to bepartoftheproject

• Forelectricityandwater,datashouldbemadeavailablelaterintheyear;

• Forwaste,negotiationshave just turnedoutpositiveandtheprojecthasaccesstothedata.

3.3 InterfaceThedashboardiscurrentlybeingdesignedonthebasis of internal research and co-creation withtheresidents(seebowbelow).

The Circular Community Centre (CIRCUIT) waslaunchedon6October2018. It isnowopenonWednesdays and Saturdays afternoon. Services

CO-CREATINGTHEDASHBOARD(3/12/2018)Co-creatingthedashboardattractedalargenumberofresidents,morethanfortheotherco-creationactivities.16participantswerepresent.Theresidentswereaskedaboutthewaystheywantedtointeractwiththeinformationandwhattheywantedtolearnfromit.Onthebasisofcanvassesandonsomeproposals,theyidentifiedthebestoptionstothem.Thismomentalsoservedasagroupbindingmomentfortheresidentsandalsoforsomeofthemtosignuptotheproject.

Source: City of Antwerp

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include: leasing tools, devices and householdappliances, weekly repair service for bikes,clothing and electronics, workshop room,monthly workshops: bike and clothing repair,culturalevenings(e.g.apurchasingpowerdebateseries),studyvisitsforschoolsandcompanies.Italsosupportscommunityevents.Theservicesitoffershavebeenco-createdwith residents (seebox below) and CIRCUIT is currently reflectinguponitsadministrativeandfinancialformwhichcould take that of a cooperative for makers,further develops partnerships (makers andcircular entrepreneurs, cultural, restaurant,cooperatives),designsitbrandingandmarketing

strategy and its Culture section, is starting totakeshape.

Thechangeofsizeoflocation(10timeslessthantheoriginalplan)doesnotenabletocarryoutalltheplannedactivitiesandproperpilotingoftheexperimentation.HostedatPleinPubliekwhichfocuses on nightlife as opposed to CIRUIT’sdailyactivities.

Yet, despite the difficulties with the location,visitorsfindtheirwaytoCIRCUITandareinspiredto bring in materials for repair. In addition,community is slowly starting to form at NieuwZuid with interest and participation in circular

CO-CREATIONTHESERVICESOFCIRCUIT(7/11/2018)CIRCUIT organised togetherwith PANTOPICONaworkshop to co-create the activitiesand services thatCIRCUIT couldprovide. Theywanted to exchangeonwhatCIRCUITis offering that canbeof use andwhat services CIRCUIT could offer. It appeared forexamplethatpeoplewantednotonlytorentmachinesbuttheworkforceaswell.ThreecommunitymemberstookpartatthepremisesofCIRCUIT.

Source: City of Antwerp

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events (textile evenings (‘waste wave’), repaircafes,vintagemarkets,etc...).

ThefuturelocationofCIRCUITwillbeinBuilding20,inthecentreofNieuwZuid.TheKringwinkel

andtheCityofAntwerparecurrentlyworkingontheir cooperationagreement.At thesametimetheKringwinkelandtherealestatedeveloperarefinalisingthesalesagreement.

3.4 ActivitiesThe Energycooperative is now under co-design: after some internal research and analysis,EcoPowersuggestsmakingresidentsco-investorsandownersofthesolarpanelsonthebuildingsinNieuw Zuid, with the form of a Local energycommunitywithinanalreadyexistingexperiencedcooperative, EcoPower. So far, 33 residents areinterestedinthecooperative.Withinthismodel,EcoPower has developed a financialmodel andagreement to remunerate the owner or homeownerassociationthathasthebuilding inproperty on or inwhich the energy installationwill be installed. It was also decided that thepurchaseoftheinstallation(PV)wouldbeundertheresponsibilityofEcoPowerandnotoftheCityof Antwerp anymore. This to ensure a relevant

follow-up after the end of the project, moreconsistentwiththefactthatpartoftheinitialUIAagreementwasinitiallytotransfertheinstallationtothecooperative.

The circularcoinandSmartcontractshavebeendesigned. The technical implementation of theCircularCoinandSmartContractswillstartsoon.Some of the main questions at stake at themomentrelatedtotheobjectofaward:theeffortor the result? These will be co-created withthe residents.

The Waste challenge, 100-100-100 was one ofthekeyhighlightsofthepastfewmonthsfortheofflineactivities(seeboxbelow).

The100-100-100ChallengeThe Concept of 1000-100-100 comesfrom the Netherlands: over 100 days,100 participants seek to become 100%zero waste. The City of Antwerp set upan online platform, organizedworkshopson producing cosmetics and detergents,sent out some tips and information byemail, held stands… During this period,participants weighted their waste and exchanges on their experiences on line. 157participants, including4people fromthecore team fromtheAdministration,and10fromNieuwZuid.Theyaccomplished68%ofwastereduction.TheanalysisfromIMECshowed that the participants created some new habits with sustainable effects andovercamebarriers(suchasbringingaboxtothebutcher’s).

Source: City of Antwerp

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4. On-goingchallengesandreadjustments

CircularSouthkeepsonbeinghighlyinspiringintermsofmovingonwith itsplannedobjectivesandachievements.Andthisiswhatwouldappealto an external audience. Yet, the project hasfacedandisfacingquitesomechallenges,thatitseekstoaddressinthemostefficientandcreativewaysbyfurtherintegratingitsonlineandofflineactivities,adjusting–onceagain–tothereality

that theproject is takingplace in anewlybuiltdistrict,leadingtotheneedtobroadeningupthegeographical scale of the project, while at thesametimeaddressingthestricttimeframeoftheprojectwhichmakesitnecessarytolookahead.Finally,thechangeofprojectcoordinatorattheleveloftheCityopensupanewerafortheproject.

4.1 Co-creatingandintegratingonlineandofflineactivitiesSincetheFirstJournal,theco-creationwithintheproject has highly improved. Partners got toknoweachother, their languages,expectations,waysofworking.Forthewholeonlineactivities,biweeklymeetingsensureon-going interactionsbetween the partners. The offline activities arestronglybringing togetherCIRCUITand theCityof Antwerp. “We came from a very theoretical model and have had to translate this into a real functioning site”, Katrien Van Den Bleekenexplained. The whole project starts to makesense as a whole, and not as isolated blocs.Partnersarealsotakingpartthemselvesinbothofflineandonlineactivities.

Inparticular,wecanseetheflowsoftheonlineinteractions being clear by now: the energysharing system is strongly linked to thecooperative on the one hand, whose structurewillbetheinterfacefortheproductionofenergy(via the PV and BIPVs) and measurement (viasmartmeters),whoseinformationwillfeedinto

thebusinesslogicstocreatenudgesdiffusedviatheapplication,whichinreturnwilluse

the blockchain mechanism to reward theresidents. These have been strongly related totheco-creationactivities(seeabove).

Yet,thepotentialsynergiesbetweenthevariousactivitiesarenotuseduptothebesttheycould.For example, at the moment, the list of thosehavingtakenpart in the100-100-100Challengehas not been used for promoting the EnergyCooperative. Within the scope of GDPR, theproject could ask permission to use theparticipants’ data for further exchange on theproject.Asastartingpoint,informationcouldbesharedviathenewsletteroftheproject.Finally,CIRCUIT seems to be a project on the side ofonlineactivities:probablybecauseofthematerialstreamitaddresses,ofthelocation,thefactthata specific public attends its activities. Itsintegrationwiththeotherofflineactivitiescouldserve as an example for its further integrationwith the online ones.

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4.2 FacingtherealityofanewlybuiltdistrictAs the Circular South project is beingimplemented in a newly built district, someissues had to be balanced and innovativesolutions had to be found regularly. Some ofthem were already mentioned in the FirstJournal,whichaffectedinparticularthelocationof the Community Centre.

Amongsttheadvantagesofsuchalocation,itiskeythatnewresidentsmadeachoicetomovetoa sustainable district, as such, they would beeager to buy in to sustainable lifestyles. AsVincentDierickxstated,thisis“life event theory: people experiencing a new life event (such as moving to a new apartment, starting a new job, …) are more susceptible to change their behaviours”. Overall, residents are willing tocreatebondsandmeetwithneighbours,theyaremotivated and can really feel they co-own theneighbourhood.Everythingseemstobepossible.And this also goes alongwith the fact that thenewest technologies and infrastructures canbeused.

Atthesametime,manychallengeshavealreadyarisen that require the partners to be creative.This relates to the narrative of the project, thedifficultytofindpotentialsitesforPVandbattery

and to convince site owners and residents. Asmentioned above also, some of the buildingsblocksonwhichPVswillbehostedwillbefinalisedonlytowardstheendoftheproject.Itisprobablethattheywillnotbeintimeforbeingincludedinthe experimentations of the project (via thedashboard,nudges,etc.).

Also, as only part of the neighbourhood isinhabited, it limits the number of residents tobuy in for the citizen energy group (energycooperative)andparticipantsforthesmartmeterexperiments. For CIRCUIT, it is difficult tomakeactivities which are not currently profitable,reachingout to residents.Recruitmenthasalsoappeared to be difficult for that reason: forexample, the session on the co-creation of thenudgingexperimentwasorganizedintheeveningat the location of CIRCUIT which is currentlyhostedatPleinPubliek,currently1kmawayfromthe main (and already built) part of CircularSouth.Assuch,only twoparticipantsovercamethesehurdlesandeventuallycame.

Intermsofbehaviouralchange,newapartmentsusetechniquesthatarealreadyveryefficient,sothere is only a small margin for improvement.Thismightmakegeneralisationmoredifficult.

4.3 BroadeningupthegeographicalscaleoftheprojectInrelationtothis,only691residentshavestartedlivingandare living (socialhousing included) intheareasofar.Thecriticalmasstoensurethatanadequatenumberofthemwouldtakepartintheactivitieshasnotbeenreached.Forexample,outof the 157 participants to the 100-100-100Challenge,only10camefromtheneighbourhood.As was foreseen in the First journal, it wastherefore decided to expand the focus Area from ‘Nieuwzuid’to‘AntwerpenZuid’(seethemap).

Dedicated activities are now being prepared:more diverse press communication,communication fragmented on channels water,energy, materials and waste in order to notoverkill the residents with information,participationinlocalactivities(e.g.consultationsover the transformation of a parking lotintoapark).

As such, theWaste challenge is indeed havinga wider impact on the city than on the new

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neighbourhood. Additionally, the challenge isnow a Belgium experience, not only a Dutch,

which will make it easier to expand to thewider City.

4.4 Thetimeframeoftheproject…AspartofanUIAgrant,theprojectisextremelytightly linked to a workplan and deliverablesinitially agreedupon.Onemain concern is thatsuchasubsidyshouldcovertheimplementation of a project. Yet, in this case, and as originallyplannedthough,thefirstyearhasbeendedicatedto conceptualisation and design. It is only nowthat the project actually takes shape, whichmakesitconcreteandhopefulforthechangesit

can bring as well as rewarding for the teamonboard.

Theprojectalsoneedstoacceleratesomeofitsactivitiesandto“condense”themasopposedtothefirstphase.Forexample,thenexteditionsofthe Waste Challenge will need to be thoughtthrough and planned together in order to beorganisedwithin theUIAprojectandtobenefit

Source: City of Antwerp

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from synergies with other events anddisseminationopportunities(seefigurebelow).

Inaddition,inrelationtothefactthattheprojecttakesplaceinanewlybuiltneighbourhood,thegiventimeframemakesitdifficulttoenvisagetheentire possibilities it aimed at originally. For

example, thetimerequired toeventually installPVs on buildings will prevent them from beingincluded in the dashboard and nudgingexperiment. As such, the partners have startedindividually and collectively to think ahead andplantheafter-lifeoftheproject.

4.5 …makesitnecessarytolookaheadTheUIAprojectwillhavestrongimpactsontheCircularSouthdistrictaswellasontheactivitiesof the partners. CIRCUIT and the EnergyCooperative will be a clear follow-up of theproject in a form of their own. A co-creationsessionwill take place to discuss the form andcontent of that CIRCUIT should take to beresponding to the needs of the residents. In parallel,itisseekingtodevelopaBusinessModelthat would enable its activities to be self-sustainableaspartoftheDeKringwinkelNGO.Inorder to design the bestmodel for the EnergyCooperativeand for it tohave itsown lifeafterthe UIA project, a co-creation sessionwith theresidentsisalsoplanned.Forthesetwoprojects,

animportantaspectistheirBusinessModelsandGovernance structure: how to ensure that theethicsandspiritoftheprojectwillbemaintained,at the same time as citizens owning them (viacooperative structures) but also ensuring theviabilityofthese?

Theprojectwillalsoleadtocleartakeawaysforthe partners. The IoT platform designed byDigipoliswas created in accordancewithGDPRand “privacy by design”, and will be highlybeneficialtotherestofthecity.Thedashboarddesigned by EnergieID will remain and itsstructure will be integrated into theEnergieIDplatform.

4.6 ThechangeofprojectcoordinatorA final element of the life of its own that theprojectishaving,thecurrentprojectcoordinator,GabriëlleVanZoeren,willbeleavingherfunctionson 31March 2019. Finding a replacement waseasyasthecolleaguecurrently inchargeoftheoffline activities, Maud Coppenrath, will takeoverthisposition:sheisparticularlyversedinthe

project,hastheadequateknowledge,experienceandexpertise,ingeneralandintheproject.Yet,this will require some time for readjustments,andwill particularly lead to a reorganisationofthe current organigram within the City of Antwerp for this type of project (see figure below). Asmentioned already in the previous journal, it

Foreseen timeframe for the upcoming waste challenges (Source: UIA expert)

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already seems challenging to recruit a new co-workertoreplaceMaudCoppenrathinherofflineresponsibilitiesevenmorenowthattheprojectis

mid-way through. Yet, the team has foundatalentedreplacementandislookingforwardtothisnewcooperation.

4.7 OverviewofchallengesBasedontheabove,itappearsthechallengesofthe project in the past six months are beingmitigated and that the team is engaged and

motivated to identify (creative) solutions. Theycanbesummarisedasperthetablebelow.

Organigram of the project at the City of Antwerp (Source: UIA Expert)

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MAPPING ANTWERP CIRCULAR SOUTH AGAINST THE ESTABLISHED UIA CHALLENGES

Challenge Level Observation

1.Leadershipforimplementation

MediumThechangeofproject coordinator isnotan issueper se, yetpartnersdidexpressthatatransitionperiodwillbeneeded.

2.(Smart)Publicprocurement Low

Publicprocurementdoesnotappeartobeamajorissuetotheproject.Procedurescanbecumbersomebutbiggestchallengesweresolvedbydoingabudgetshift.

3.Organizationalarrangementswithintheurbanauthority

Medium

AsmentionedintheFirstjournal,organizationalarrangementswithin the urban authority could be an issue if the otherdepartments lose the buy-in and commitment they havedevelopedsofar.

4.Participativeapproachforco-implementation

Low

Participationisinthespiritoftheproject.AspresentedinthisJournal,activitieswithinthepartnershipandwiththecitizenshavebeenincreasinglyorganisedtoensurearealco-creationandco-implementationoftheproject.

5.Monitoringandevaluation

LowMonitoringandevaluationdonotappeartobeamajorissuetotheproject.

6.Communicationwithtargetbeneficiaries

Medium

As mentioned in the First Journal, communication does notappeartobeamajorissuetotheproject,yet,newstrategieswillneedtobefurtherdevelopedinordertoreachouttotheplannednumberofcitizens.

7.UpscalingLow

As mentioned in this Journal, strategies to look ahead areinplace.

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5. Whatarethenewlearningsoftheproject?

Theprojectisuniqueandinspiring,andrequeststopresentitareactuallybeyondthecapacityofthe partners to handle. With the extension ofnetworks,forexamplethesocialmediaactivitiesof CIRCUIT, the project acknowledges it fulfilsaneed thatapparentlymanypeople felt in thewider city as an alternative to linear consumersociety.Partnersalsofeelthatifallaspectsoftheprojectcanbeachieved,ithasagreatpotentialtoinvolvemorecitizensintheenergytransition.Bygettingmore involved,eitherbyco-investingin the energy installations or bymonitoring itsenergy consumption, citizens become moreenergy conscious.

The last six months have confirmed that suchaprojectrequiresanewwayofworkingandthatco-creationisnotgivenathand.Yet,withtime,goodwill,willingnessandwiththeobjectivesoftheprojectasasharedgoalinmind,partnerscangettoknoweachother,andtakethemostoutofeach other’s expertise and experience. Somefurther integration to include the potential ofCIRCUITisstillneeded.Thiswayitwouldnotbeso isolated for the rest of the project, but thegroundforthisisalreadyavailable.

In addition, community engagement, is timeconsuming and requiresavery individualbasis,yet,theinvestmentmadeinthelastsixmonthshas shown good results in terms of buy-in andrecruitment to the different activities oftheproject.

The particular setting of the project in a newlybuilt district has some practical andepistemological implications. This has requireddevelopingnew partnerships,withPleinPubliekand Domities, together with the adaptation ofmethodologyandactivities.

TheoveralltimeframeofaprojectsuchaswithinaUIApartnershiprequirespartnerstobepatient in thedevelopmentof itsconceptualisationbutalsotoalreadyforeseetheafterlifeoftheproject,to make it worthy and useful for the entiresociety,beyondthemereadministrativeframe.

Finally,projectpartnershavea lifeoftheirownand changes within the team requires flexibility,competencies and adaptabilities, that will betestedfromAprilonwards.

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6. What’snext?

In the next couple ofmonths, the focus of theproject will be to launch effectively itsexperimentation:

• PV,BIPVs,storagebatteriesandsmartmeterswillbeinstalled

• Theprojectwillbenefitfromtheinputsfromthetransitionboard

• Data will be treated and integrated in theinformationpipeline,benefitingthebusinesslogicsandblockchains

• Theuserprofilingwillbefinalisedandnudgingexperiment designed

• TheCommunity ofNieuwZuidwill continueonbeingengaged

• Thedashboardwillbefinalisedandtested

• CIRCUITwill continue itsactivities to furtherdevelop itsfuturebaseonthefinalisationofthe cooperation agreement with the realestatedeveloper

• The Energy Cooperative financial andgovernancemodelwillbedesigned(Thefirstassemblyofthe localenergycommunitywilltakeplaceon23rdApril2019)

• Thetechnical implementationoftheCircularCoinandSmartContractswillbeinitiated

• ThenextwavesoftheWastechallengewillbedesigned,whileintegratingthebottledepositchallengeasoriginallyplanned

If youwould like to seeconcretely theway theAntwerp Circular South project will concretelyact to support the transition of energyconsumptionpracticesoftheresidentsofNieuwZuid,weinviteyoutoreadournextJournaltobepublishedlate2019!

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7. Acknowledgments

This second journal was written based on theinputs provided by email exchanges and a sitevisitonthe20and21February2019withallthepartners: Gabriëlle Van Zoeren, projectcoordinator from the City of Antwerp, KoenKerckhofs, Digipolis; Vincent Dierickx and JanPecinovsky, EnergieID ; Jim Williame and IneSwennen, Ecopower; Bram Lievens, IMEC; NikBaerten, Pantopicon; Dominic Ectors, VitoEnergyVille;KatrienVanDenBleekenandFrank

Dingemans,De Kringwinkel; Maud Coppenrath,Innovation Manager Waste & Materials at theCity of Antwerp; Sam Verbelen, InnovationManagerEnergy&Water;HildeHaex,InnovationManager Community & Communication; ElkeVan De Mosselaer, Communication Manager.Iwouldliketothankallthepartnersonceagainfor their inputs, reflexions and sharing ofexperiences on the past and prospects of theproject.

Source: UIA expert

UrbanInnovativeActions

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+33(0)361765934 info@uia-initiative.eu www.uia-initiative.eu

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ThecontentofthisjournaldoesnotreflecttheofficialopinionoftheUrbanInnovativeActionsInitiative.Responsibilityfortheinformationandviewsexpressedinthejournalliesentirelywiththeauthor.

Urban InnovativeActions (UIA) is an Initiativeof the European Union that provides urbanareasthroughoutEuropewithresourcestotestnewandunprovensolutions toaddressurbanchallenges. Based on article 8 of ERDF, theInitiative has a total ERDF budget of EUR 372millionfor2014-2020.UIA projects will produce a wealth ofknowledgestemmingfromtheimplementationof the innovative solutions for sustainableurbandevelopmentthatareofinterestforcitypractitioners and stakeholders across the EU.ThisjournalisapaperwrittenbyaUIAExpertthat captures and disseminates the lessonslearnt from the project implementation andthegoodpractices identified.Thejournalswillbe structured around the main challenges ofimplementation identified and faced at locallevelbyUIAprojects.TheywillbepublishedonaregularbasisontheUIAwebsite.