Capacity building for Metropolitan Areas
Author: Anastasia Ponomareva, HES-SO
Over the past months, the MICAD research team has carried out a holistic analysis of metropolitan governance models, existing climate and digital transition policies, initiatives, and tools. The team also conducted an in-depth assessment of the capacities and learning needs of 5 Metropolitan areas: Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (Spain), Metropolitan City of Milan (Italy), City of Tirana (Albania), City of Chisinau (Moldova), Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia (Poland).This analytical work leads to the following question: how can the findings from the metropolitan needs and capacities assessment be transformed into a collaborative capacity-building programme?
The transition from research to implementation marks a decisive moment in every innovation process. From the outset, the MICAD project’s structure emphasized the importance of linking preliminary analysis with subsequent implementation. Drawing on in-depth interviews, surveys, and data provided by metropolitan areas, the MICAD research partners from HES-SO and Institut Metropoli developed an assessment of existing capacities.
Having mapped needs and analysed capacities across diverse Metropolitan contexts and realities, the MICAD project now enters a phase where insights become action, and knowledge takes the form of collaboration.
The passage from research to implementation is a turning point — the moment when reflection meets reality.
Methodological frameworks for capacity assessment were analysed and adapted to create a specific framework tailored to support Metropolitan areas in developing their climate and digital transition roadmaps.
The needs and capacities assessment provided a comprehensive picture of the factors shaping metropolitan readiness for the twin (green and digital) transition. Through a combination of desk research, interviews, and peer exchanges, the analysis identified key learning needs and potentials across several dimensions — metropolitan governance, climate and digital transition, stakeholder engagement, and social inclusion.
Following the MICAD’s capacity assessment framework, the metropolitan needs and potentials can be summarized through the following key elements:
| CAPACITIES | Summary of learning needs and potentials |
| Knowledge capacity | Strengthening knowledge capacities involves developing a shared reference framework that ensures coherence across departments and policies, while promoting cross-departmental learning and knowledge exchange. Metropolitan areas can leverage international networks and peer learning opportunities to draw lessons from successful practices elsewhere. In parallel, fostering stronger collaboration between research and policy communities is essential to translate analytical insights into actionable strategies that advance digital and climate transitions. |
| Management capacity | Enhancing management capacities requires building institutional capabilities for strategic planning, policy design, and coordination. Establishing multi-stakeholder cooperation structures can enable more inclusive and efficient governance of digital transition roadmaps. Furthermore, strengthening strategic financial management and partnership-building skills will help metropolitan authorities ensure the sustainability of initiatives beyond project cycles, while promoting cross-sectoral integration between digital innovation, environmental goals, and social inclusion. |
| Leadership capacity | Developing leadership capacities is central to steering complex metropolitan transitions. Strengthening strategic leadership ensures a clear vision and consistent direction for the digital transition agenda. Learning from international good practices can inspire adaptive leadership models that integrate inclusivity, transparency, and citizen engagement as key principles. Such leadership promotes a shared metropolitan identity and collective ownership of transition pathways. |
| Relational capacity | Building relational capacities focuses on reinforcing both horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms, ensuring effective collaboration among departments, municipalities, and higher levels of government. Strengthening multi-level governance and partnership management helps align priorities across public, private, and civic actors. Stakeholder engagement platforms should be used as co-creation spaces—forums where dialogue, trust, and shared learning can translate into coordinated and innovative action. |
| Mobilization capacity | Mobilization capacities refer to the ability to design and implement participatory processes that engage citizens and key stakeholders meaningfully. Improving communication and awareness-raising strategies is critical to build public understanding of the digital transition’s benefits and opportunities. At the same time, participatory approaches must intentionally include vulnerable or underrepresented groups, ensuring that the transition is socially just and equitable. |
| Learning capacity | Strengthening learning capacities entails establishing robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and assess impact. Institutionalizing learning processes allows metropolitan authorities to integrate feedback, international experiences, and continuous improvement into their governance systems. Developing digital skills training programmes for both public employees and citizens ensures that learning becomes a shared, ongoing process underpinning metropolitan resilience and innovation. |
| Experimental capacity | Building experimental capacities means enhancing the ability to coordinate and manage pilot and experimental projects effectively. Metropolitan areas should establish institutional mechanisms that enable the replication and scaling of successful initiatives, ensuring their long-term impact. Finally, fostering systematic knowledge transfer and dissemination of innovative solutions developed locally will help anchor experimentation as a core driver of metropolitan learning and transformation. |
Building on this analytical foundation, the next stage focuses on co-developing capacity-building frameworks tailored to metropolitan needs. These frameworks will:
While capacity-building sessions develop shared knowledge and skills, Operational Hubs will function as practice-based spaces where metropolitan teams can test and refine solutions. Each hub will serve as a collaborative laboratory, linking local experimentation with strategic planning and implementation.
The capacity building sessions are aimed at bringing together metropolitan authorities, regional partners, researchers, and civil society representatives. Using interactive methods such as Living Lab co-creation, peer-learning formats, and scenario-based exercises, participants will collectively explore how to operationalize climate and digital transition roadmaps.
The transition from assessment to implementation is not a linear process, but a continuous learning cycle.
Insights emerging from capacity-building activities and operational hubs will feed back into roadmap development, refinement, and institutional learning. This iterative model reflects the essence of the Living Lab approach: knowledge co-created through practice, adjusted through reflection, and validated in real-life contexts.
By moving from analysis to action, MICAD supports metropolitan authorities not only in understanding their capacities but also in mobilizing them strategically — transforming collaborative potential into systemic change and laying the foundations for concrete, action-oriented pathways toward sustainable and inclusive twin transition.
Be part of a transformative movement towards inclusive climate and digital solutions. Together, we can shape sustainable metropolitan futures.
