In 2024, the Municipality of Brescia launched the preparatory activities for the development of its Air and Climate Plan (Piano Aria e Clima – PAC), as part of a broader strategic action on climate and sustainability that also includes other key planning instruments, such as the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PUMS), the Municipal Urban Plan (PGT), and the Climate Transition Strategy “Un filo naturale” (“A Natural Thread”). The PAC is the strategic framework through which the city will contribute to achieving the European Union’s ambitious objectives on both carbon neutrality and air quality, supporting climate change mitigation and the definition of adaptation strategies while upholding the principles of the right to health, equity, and justice.

To accompany the drafting of the Plan, the Municipality of Brescia commissioned Poliedra to design and deliver a participatory process aimed at engaging stakeholders, representatives of organised civil society, District Councils, and the wider local community, in order to collect their perspectives and integrate them into the Plan.

Poliedra’s role

Poliedra was responsible for designing, coordinating and facilitating all participation and citizen engagement activities supporting the development of the Air and Climate Plan. The team also developed the process monitoring and reporting framework, working in close collaboration with the Municipality of Brescia’s technical departments, the PAC Steering Committee, the Urban Center, the Participation Office, and the communication team.

The participatory process designed by Poliedra to support the preparation of the Air and Climate Plan was structured into the following phases:

• Late 2024 – Refinement and completion of the stakeholder mapping; collection of key contextual information through background research, questionnaires, interviews, and dedicated meetings; further development of the participatory process and presentation of the proposed approach to the relevant municipal bodies.
• 2025 – Interactive workshops with stakeholders and District Councils to discuss the vision and objectives of the Plan, building on the strategic guidelines developed by the PAC drafting team and the Air, Common Good and Climate Observatory; thematic workshops for stakeholders focusing on the Plan’s three main pillars (Air Quality, Climate Mitigation, and Climate Adaptation); local meetings across the city’s five districts to gather place-based perspectives on climate change and air quality.
• 2026 – Final workshop with stakeholders and District Councils to present and discuss the outcomes of the participatory process; public presentation of the main results; integration of the participatory outcomes into the final version of the Air and Climate Plan by the drafting team. The Brescia City Council formally approved the Air and Climate Plan on 29 June 2026.