Tartu organising first Climate Assembly
Tartu City Government Press Release
28 March / Tartu will host its first Climate Assembly in April and May, where, together with the city’s residents, we will be looking at ways to make the urban space in Tartu both safer and more attractive.
During the Climate Assembly, the 55 participants invited on the basis of a representative sample will receive climate knowledge from experts in the field, listen to the interest groups involved in the topic and, as a result of the discussions, formulate proposals for the city government.
Answers to the following questions are being sought in the Climate Assembly: what is the distribution of climate-friendly street space between different road users, what must the speed-limit on the streets be in order to reduce air and noise pollution, and how can cycling be encouraged even further?
According to Tartu Mayor Urmas Klaas, the introduction of the Climate Assembly as an innovative way of decision-making is a logical step for Tartu. ‘In Tartu, we have been pioneers in implementing a participative budget, and we also hope to provide other cities with a good example in the form of the Climate Assembly. We await the proposals of the Climate Assembly with great interest, as they will help us to implement further developments and changes in the urban space. A safe and secure street space is crucial to achieving our climate goals,’ Klaas added.
According to Maiu Lauring, a voluntary sector analyst at Green Tiger, cities can only increase environmental friendliness by working together with their residents. ‘Green Tiger is helping Tartu to organise the Climate Assembly, as local communities have a very important role to play in launching the green transition and it is here that Tartu has set ambitious goals. We are bringing together the best experts, various interested parties and ordinary residents of Tartu from each district, to identify activities that have the highest level of support and result in a rapid reduction in CO2 emissions, which help promote the development of sustainable mobility,’ Luring added.
The invitation to the Climate Assembly was sent today to 15,000 residents of Tartu from the age of 15. Anyone who receives an invitation via e-mail and wishes to participate in the Climate Assembly must register by means of the registration link in the invitation. An algorithm will then help to select 55 Tartu residents from among those who registered, who will represent a demographic cross-section of the population of Tartu and form the Climate Assembly.
Climate Assembly meetings will take place over two weekends, 23–24 April and 7–8 May.
During the first weekend, with the help of sectoral specialists, participants will obtain in-depth knowledge regarding the principles of street space planning, and the good and bad effects of different modes of travel. The views and opinions of different stakeholders will also be heard. Recordings of presentations from both days will be available for viewing on the Climate Assembly website.
Group discussions will take place on the second weekend, where, on the basis of the knowledge acquired and in the opinion of the participants, proposals to help increase the safety and attractiveness of moving about and staying on the street space of Tartu will be made. Participants will formulate specific proposals that will be voted on individually. Proposals receiving support in excess of 80% shall be deemed to have been adopted by the Climate Assembly and will be presented to the City Government, which will take them into account when designing the street space. The City Government will provide regular reports to residents concerning the implementation of the proposals made by the Climate Assembly.
The first-ever Climate Assembly in Tartu is a novel form of engagement, one that is used around the world in local and national decision-making.
The Climate Assembly is organised by the Tartu City Government, together with Green Tiger and Miltton.
More about the Tartu Climate Assembly: https://www.tartu.ee/en/climateassembly
Additional information: Mayor Urmas Klaas, tel: 513-5145, Deputy Mayor Gea Kangilaski, tel: 521-3295, Maiu Lauring, voluntary sector analyst at Green Tiger, tel: 517 7321.
Last changed 13.05.2022
