The laboratory was structured around a common challenge: "Leading to Coordinate", with the objective of exploring how to activate the political and technical leadership needed to deploy a large-scale energy retrofitting strategy in cities. Throughout the session, a very rich exchange was generated between the technical and political teams of the participating cities. Contributions emerged that not only pointed to common obstacles, but also to shared keys to progress: from the need for leadership that legitimises and connects, to the construction of common objectives, the stability of collaboration between actors, the improvement of multilevel governance or the importance of communicating in a way that mobilises citizens. Issues such as the need for well-resourced and skilled teams, the role of data for informed decision-making, and the urgency of designing solutions that are tailored to the reality of each city and socially just were also addressed.
The facilitation was carried out by Sustainable Startup & Co and the innovation team composed by Toni Arribas (creative, illustrator and graphic facilitator), Maximo Plo Seco (expert in innovation and design of collective work processes) and Marta Fuentes (psychologist and actress). Together we designed a focused and open, creative and emotionally safe workspace. The coordination was carried out by Beatriz García-Moncó Piñeiro and Itxaso Molinero Aguirre, from the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, who accompanied the whole process with clarity, involvement and strategic vision.
