People First: How to Engage Citizens in Neighbourhood Climate Adaptation


Cool Neighbourhoods Conference – Saint-Omer, France | October 2025

One of the standout moments of the recent Cool Neighbourhoods conference in Saint-Omer was a powerful presentation by Tiny Maenhout from the Municipality of Middelburg, who tackled one of the most crucial — and complex — aspects of climate adaptation: citizen engagement.


Lead Partner of Cool Neighbourhoods, Tiny Maenhout


Why Engagement Matters

As climate risks such as urban heat, flooding, and biodiversity loss continue to rise across North-West Europe, technical solutions alone are not enough. People living in neighbourhoods must be part of the solution. But involving citizens meaningfully — especially in historic, vulnerable, or underserved areas — requires time, trust, and creativity.

Tiny’s session addressed this head-on, providing a practical, tested approach drawn from Middelburg’s work as one of the pilot sites in the Cool Neighbourhoods project.


5 Key Strategies for Effective Engagement

  1. Start Where People Are
    Begin with everyday concerns — comfort at home, energy bills, access to green space — before diving into climate data. Framing matters.
  2. Use the Power of Local Anchors
    Work with schools, community centres, and trusted local organisations. These “anchors” act as bridges to harder-to-reach groups.
  3. Make It Visual and Tangible
    Use maps, temperature sensors, and even model simulations to show local impacts. Citizens respond better when they can see and feel the issue.
  4. Be Honest About Trade-offs
    Green infrastructure may mean fewer parking spaces. Open, transparent communication builds credibility and reduces resistance.
  5. Celebrate Small Wins Together
    Whether it’s a tree planting event, a shaded bench installation, or a new citizen science activity — make it visible and communal.


From Consultation to Co-Creation

Tiny emphasised the difference between informing citizens and co-creating solutions with them. “We must move from a transactional to a transformative approach,” she said. "True climate resilience comes when citizens feel ownership of the changes happening in their neighbourhoods."


Next Steps

The learnings from Middelburg and other Cool Neighbourhoods pilots are now being consolidated into training tools, case studies, and engagement blueprints for cities and towns across the region. These resources will be made available as part of the Cool Neighbourhoods Capitalisation Strategy, ensuring wider uptake and replication.

Tiny’s contribution underscored one of the project’s most important lessons: Cooler neighbourhoods aren’t just engineered — they’re built together.


Suggested Engagement Methods


Learn more
Follow Cool Neighbourhoods on LinkedIn to get regular activity updates, of course there is more on this website where you can access the full series of presentations and outputs from the Saint-Omer event, including insights from citizen engagement, climate heritage, and NHSAP training.

 


 


🛠️ Tools for Tomorrow: NHSAP Training from the Province of Antwerp Showcased in Saint-Omer, France.