INTERREG IVC to boost 6-year-old IMAGINE initiative!

By Blandine Pidoux on 29 février 2012

Together with Munich (DE), Modena (IT), Lille (FR), Figueres (ES), Dobrich (BG), Bistrita (RO), Odense (DK), Milton-Keynes (GB) and HafenCity University (DE – Hamburg), Energy Cities will lead the IMAGINE project, co-funded under INTERREG IVC for local Energy Roadmaps 2050. A great milestone for this 6-year-old initiative !
This new project tries to tackle energy challenges with a territorial approach in order to engage a transition towards a low energy future, while offering a high quality of life for all.

It focuses on interregional exchanges of knowledge and experiences, on local stakeholders dialogue and the co-construction of a local long-term vision of the energy future of a city. Each participating city will run a series of local forums in order to progress on its local Energy Roadmap 2050 thanks to the engagement of local stakeholders and citizens around local authorities.
IMAGINE is a highly political project as such a transition needs the full involvement of the highest decisions-makers of the municipalities, the different departments and many local stakeholders in order to co-create innovative and integrated solutions. This requires a cross-sectoral approach and a common vision acting as a framework for joint efforts by all engaged stakeholders.

Background
Energy Cities started the IMAGINE initiative in 2006 as a follow-up of a discussion with member cities interested in the long-term perspective and a visioning approach of energy and urban issues.

The main idea behind this initiative lies in the fact that although an increasing number of cities are committing to achieving the European objectives, notably through the Covenant of Mayors, they also face several obstacles. One of them is the difficulty for cities, their stakeholders and citizens in imagining, evaluating and accepting the extent of the changes that are required to reach the objectives. Helping overcome such obstacles is the aim of the IMAGINE initiative as a platform for foresight, collaboration and exchanges, leading to action and change.
So far, the IMAGINE initiative has been supported by the Franche-Comté Regional Council, the Doubs County Council, the ADEME (French National Energy Agency), the French Environment and Energy Ministry, and the Caisse des dépôts.

You can get an overview of what has been achieved in the past years of the initiative by reading the summary of the annual Imagine seminars :
IMAGINE on the way : A continuous momentum dedicated to the emergence of operational concepts adapted to the challenges at hand
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