Dr. Emanuel Rota, Associate Professor in the Department of French and Italian, recently authored a White Paper (government or authoritative informational report) on the topic of political trust in the context of the European Green Deal and the 100 Cities Project. This White Paper emerged from a collaborative research initiative funded by the European Union (Jean Monnet/Horizon Europe), the U.S. Department of Education, and the European Union Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The project examined the EU’s 100 Carbon Neutral Cities initiative, with the goal of understanding its implementation and, ultimately, making its lessons available to urban contexts in the United States. Recognizing the dual challenge of achieving carbon neutrality while maintaining public trust, particularly among marginalized communities, this research explored best practices in sustainable policy implementation. Th research team concentrated on four key dimensions: citizen engagement (especially among subordinate groups), mechanisms for evaluating progress, energy policies and digital tools for urban participation, and the interplay between local, national, and supranational governance structures. This White Paper synthesized their findings, offering actionable knowledge for policymakers, researchers, and urban planners.
Dr. Rota extends special thanks to Laura Hetel, Cara Wong, Peter Christensen, Jake Bowers, Sanjay Patel, Bill Sullivan, and Xinyuan Dai for their contributions to the project. You can read the White Paper here.