Energy Cities' proposals for the energy transition of cities and towns

From Energy Cities Wiki

Proposals based on existing practices

In 2012, Energy Cities initiated a collective process aimed at making proposals to accelerate the energy transition of European territories. The 30 Proposals in your hands are the result of part of this collective work. Other proposals are available on the Internet*, where you will find many other examples that it would be impossible to print here.

What makes these Proposals new?

These Proposals are based on the observation and analysis of hundreds of practical examples, all stemming from existing practices. Our intention is to make these practices “talk”, to convey their meaning and to show the path they are pointing at, sometimes without us being aware of it. The criterion for selecting these Proposals is straightforward and concerns their transforming capacity, that is, their ability to change the way we think and act. Specific attention has therefore been given to all aspects of innovation, including territorial governance.

These Proposals aim to “recreate society” through a subject which concerns us all, energy, and beyond this, to open avenues to the transition towards a more humane economy, more attuned to the challenges of the century. A message of hope for Europe!

For further information on Energy Cities' proposals for the energy transition of cities and towns, please visit our website at www.energy-cities.eu/30proposals !

Contents 1 Empowering local actors 2 Knowing our territories’ resources and flows 3 Rethink financing in general 4 Inventing a new local governance 5 Urban planning as a way of reducing energy use

Empowering local actors

What is the role of local authorities in the energy transition? What new responsibilities do they have to take on? What new local governance rules should they adopt to guarantee sustainable decisions?

Proposals for developing territorial energy policies:

• Proposal 1.1 Take local control of energy supply
• Proposal 1.2 Unite all stakeholders in a local energy alliance
• Proposal 1.3 Ensure public budgets integrate positive and negative energy externalities
• Proposal 1.4 Co-create a long-term vision to shape all policies
• Proposal 1.5 Eradicate local fuel poverty
• Proposal 1.6 Lead by example by transforming municipal energy management
• Proposal 1.7 Prepare an Energy Transition Action Plan
• Proposal 1.8 Be part of regional, national and European networks to gain exposure to others’ experience

Knowing our territories’ resources and flows

What strategy should we adopt for improving the management of incoming and outgoing resource flows generated by human activities in territories: energy, water, waste, greenhouse gases? Why should, and how can, we improve our knowledge of them? How can we optimise them and what should our priorities be? Where and with whom should we take action in order to be the most efficient?

Proposals for a global optimisation of territorial resources:

• Proposal 2.1 Know the territory’s metabolism so as to optimise local potential and reduce the impact of human activities on the ecosystem
• Proposal 2.2 Identify local energy potential in order to live within our means
• Proposal 2.3 Prepare a local heat plan to match need and available resource
• Proposal 2.4 Create and implement a territorial bio-waste action plan
• Proposal 2.5 Make the best use of energy and material flows by encouraging synergies between players
• Proposal 2.6 Make better use and share what already exists instead of always buying more
• Proposal 2.7 Encourage the development of a more endogenous economy to increase territories’ resilience

Rethink financing in general

What are the solutions to the public financial, debt and credit crisis? How can we finance the energy transition? What can we do to make it a driving force behind the local economy and job creation? What are the new financial cash flows for this new economy?

Proposals for mobilising the financial resources, in particular of local stakeholders and citizens:

• Proposal 3.1 Keep money spent on energy near to home
• Proposal 3.2 Collect local savings and invest them in sustainable local energy projects
• Proposal 3.3 Integrate future energy prices in the economic calculations made prior to investment decisions
• Proposal 3.4 Dedicate human capacities in financial engineering
• Proposal 3.5 Set up financial structures dedicated to the energy transition

Inventing a new local governance

How can we make stakeholders share the construction of a common vision and the desire to jointly engage in the energy transition? How can we reinforce collective dynamics? How can we encourage decision-makers and citizens to change their habits? How can we invent new social practices?

Proposals to give dynamic to creativity and involve local stakeholders and citizens:

• Proposal 4.1 Create interface capacities between public authorities and the civil society
• Proposal 4.2 Establish cross departmental links to avoid silo mentality
• Proposal 4.3 Prove that it works and create a snowball effect
• Proposal 4.4 Give public visibility to motivated players and citizens
• Proposal 4.5 Raise opportunities for experimenting new practices to encourage their dissemination
• Proposal 4.6 Make arts and culture part of the energy transition process
• Proposal 4.7 Use town twinning as a springboard for energy transition

Urban planning as a way of reducing energy use

What type of urban planning should we develop to satisfy housing, mobility and consumption needs in an energy-efficient way? What infrastructures can increase territories’ energy sufficiency? How should we change our modes of transport and the way we use public space in the future? How can we encourage short supply chains?

Proposals for energy-efficient urban planning:

• Proposal 5.1 Make planning system drive territory’s energy transition
• Proposal 5.2 Prepare an energy retrofitting plan for the whole building stock
• Proposal 5.3 Ensure that new neighbourhoods are “100%” renewable
• Proposal 5.4 Plan modal shift to sustainable transport
• Proposal 5.5 Transform railway stations into territorial structuring hubs

• Proposal 5.6 Design a street code to favour walking and cycling
• Proposal 5.7 Implement goods delivery schemes
• Proposal 5.8 Think commercial urban planning differently to improve quality of life