Milton Keynes City Council The next phase of the Open Societal Challenges
Dementia and climate change projects among research winners
T e winners have been announced in a joint Milton Keynes City Council and Open University initiative to highlight everyday challenges faced by society, including living well, reducing emissions and tackling inequalities. Earlier this year, the organisations teamed up through the
Cllr Pete Marland Leader Milton Keynes City Council
Open Societal Challenges programme to invite businesses and charities to submit research challenges to the Open University, with the winners collaborating with OU academics to try to solve some of society’s most pressing issues. The city council’s commitment is based on the
MK:Smart initiative which was originally set up in 2017 to ensure a collaborative approach to Smart City projects. As part of the Open Societal Challenges, two Milton Keynes projects have been successful: ■ Addressing the challenges of an ageing population, and specifically supporting the city council’s goal for Milton Keynes to become a dementia-friendly city with better accessibility for all – Milton Keynes Development Partnership;
■ Investigating the benefi ts of living roof technologies by establishing a green living roof on an OU building – Gardens in the Sky.
Some of the themes covered by national applicants include: ■ Research to detect the earliest signs of dementia in individuals with Down’s Syndrome, who are at a higher risk of developing dementia – Alzheimer’s Society;
■ Better understanding the economic and social benefi t of preventing men’s violence against women and girls, which would support the case for investment to address this issue – White Ribbon;
■ How rural fl oodplains could be used to deliver fl ood and drought resilience and make a contribution to nature and climate targets – T e National Trust.
programme is for academics and other experts to team up with the successful organisations to begin preparing solutions to the issues they have identifi ed.
Partnership to tackle climate change Milton Keynes City Council has joined the European NetZeroCities programme, an ambitious city-to-city learning initiative designed to accelerate eff orts to address climate change. As part of the programme, MK has been twinned with
French city, Lyon, to share knowledge, strategies and inno- vative methods in an eff ort to meet climate change goals and overcome obstacles to achieving net zero emissions. NetZeroCities will provide the city council with valu-
able resources to learn about successful methods other cities have used to tackle climate issues. T e city council will also have the opportunity to share
its own examples of the work it is doing to tackle climate impact, such as delivering energy effi ciency upgrades in its homes and its impressive EV charging infrastructure. T e partnership with Lyon, a city renowned for its green
initiatives, will enable MK to build on its strong environ- mental track record and continue to fi nd solutions to tackle key challenges, including sustainable transport, energy effi ciency and other green infrastructure. In particular, the city council is keen to learn from Lyon’s
commitment to community engagement with residents, business and organisations in introducing sustainability measures. Lyon is also known for ensuring sustainability projects benefi t its most deprived areas, something the city council wants to replicate. By the end of the 18-month programme, Twin Cities
will develop an action plan, which outlines the steps they will take to advance their climate transition eff orts. This will be supported by NetZeroCities, who will
oversee the programme and facilitate discussions, provide guidance, and help monitor the programme’s impact in Twin and Pilot Cities.
Scan the QR code to visit the NetZeroCities website or go to
https://netzerocities.eu
For more information from Milton Keynes City Council visit
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk
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