In the densely populated Roman neighborhoods of Torpignattara and Villa Certosa, a participatory survey on social vulnerabilities in support of a new Renewable and Solidarity-based Energy Community.
Context
Building a Renewable and Solidarity-based Energy Community (CERS) means not only developing decentralized experiences of renewable energy production, necessary for the transformation of the energy model, but also implies supporting solidarity actions within one’s own community. The phenomenon of energy poverty is constantly growing. Factors linked to job and housing precarity, as well as rising energy prices, have a particular impact: in Italy in 2021 it affected 8.5% of households. Rome is no exception, and in the most densely populated, high-density-housing neighborhoods, less energy is consumed — Torpignattara among them. Thus, CER.TOSA offers an opportunity for grassroots social research that can help the newly established CERS guide its future social choices: from the community, for the community.
The Project
The CER.TOSA pilot action is part of the process of establishing a renewable and solidarity-based energy community (CERS) in the Certosa area of the Torpignattara neighborhood, focusing on the needs and aspirations of local communities. The project aims to conduct a participatory analysis of socio-economic vulnerabilities in the Torpignattara neighborhood, using open science and citizen science approaches.
By involving residents and local organizations in the research process, the project seeks to identify community-specific vulnerabilities that might not be captured through institutional data. Through interviews and a questionnaire aimed at neighborhood residents, the goal is to gain a better understanding of people’s needs, using the results of the participatory research as useful input for local social actors and providing guidance for the energy community’s choices in shaping its policies and future utilities.
Info
Year: 2023
Promoter: A Sud
Partners: Residents of the Torpignattara neighborhood
Beneficiaries: Residents of the Torpignattara neighborhood
Funding: the CER.TOSA pilot project is supported by the Impetus project, funded by the European Union (Grant agreement n. 101058677)
