Energy Cities

Geopolitics are forcing different levels of government [European, national and local] to acknowledge #gas imports as Europe's Achilles heel. The solution is simple - European energy for European homes and industry. This is how cities are stepping up to the plate: https://lnkd.in/ey7wRZTk Adrian Hiel, Covenant of Mayors - Europe

Sovereignty is often thought of as a form of absolute autonomy - the individual. Individuals or sovereign states should not depend on anyone or anything to make their decisions, set their laws or control their resources. But a world marked by #climate change, pandemics and globalised production chains, this vision of sovereignty has become obsolete. It is not possible to claim independence in a world saturated with systemic interactions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7x7qtt7 Tristan Riom, Nantes Métropole, Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine

Mobility options, green spaces, new housing projects - citizens should always be involved in the decision making process. During our Annual Forum #GraftingCities2024 hosted by Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine, we had the opportunity to visit a project where citizen participation was an intrinsic feature of planning and not a theoretical nice to have. This pre-greened project, an example of effective transitory urbanism, aims to convert a 25-hectare site into 600 housing units. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7wXSjMV Anne-Marie Zwanink, Judith Ferrando

National and EU-level frameworks often lag behind local ambitions. The local level is ready to act, yet it continues to encounter significant barriers. Cities and regions need to transition out of traditional subsidies in order to achieve their #climate ambitions - but are they equipped to do so? This report provides concrete, realistic recommendations for municipalities seeking innovative financing: https://lnkd.in/ecJy6suG Capacity building for cities and regions | PROSPECT+, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy Foundation (IEECP),FEDARENE

Democracy is alive and well at the local level. Wednesday night, during our 35th anniversary Gala celebrations, Mohamed Ridouani, President of Energy Cities, was gifted a piece of handmade chocolate manufactured by female artisanal confectioners from Mariupol, now displaced by the war. Mariupol was originally a member or Energy Cities and is now under Russian occupation. We were lucky to have mayors and deputy mayors from eight cities in Ukraine and ten cities total amongst our participants. Two of them, Zlatopil in the Kharkiv region and Shyrokivska AC in the Zaporizhzhia region, being very close to the war zone. We are behind you, we are before you and we stand by you. Bogdan Kelichavyi, Anton Oriekhov #GraftingCities2025 #Ukraine4Climate

We can’t content ourselves with advocating for the local level and focus on the bottom-up. That is necessary - but it’s not enough. We need to renegotiate the relationship between the bottom and the up. A new policy for alliances and cooperation.    It’s a wrap! Thank you so much for joining us for #GraftingCities2025, we had a blast.     We are pleased to announce that next year, #GraftingCities2026 will take place in Guimarães 2030 – European Green Capital for 2026. Martin Vanier, Alizée Marceau

The Mayors’ Club is an initiative that brings together small groups of likeminded mayors, deputy mayors and local councillors to take a deep dive into specific topics  – the topics for today were housing policy, heat decarbonisation and #inclusive energy solutions. Thank you to Nantes Métropole, Comune di Verona and Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine for hosting these fruitful parallel sessions! #GraftingCities2025

What a success - thank you so much for your participation today. It was a day full of new discoveries, testimonials and collective intelligence workshops.  It was quite intense but it more than paid off. We hope that you have gathered valuable insights to take home and adapt to your local needs; without you it cannot be done. We’ll meet you again tomorrow at a variety of interactive sessions, insights and matchmaking. Enjoy the Gala dinner -  it’s our 35th anniversary and we have cake! #GraftingCities2025 Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine, ADEME

We welcome you to this edition of #GraftingCities2025, hosted in Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine, a pioneer of the green transition in France.     In our time together, we will lead you across the city and its climate initiatives – bringing you the newest insights on #adaptation, deployment of renewables, citizen engagement, food systems and circularity.  We have a rich programme this year [as every year], have fun getting to know each other, get ready to join us on our five thematic journeys! Philippe Guelpa-Bonaro, Tristan Riom

It is happening next week. After months of planning, #GraftingCities2025 will take place in Besançon, Ville et Communauté Urbaine. Packed with site visits, workshops and interactive sessions, it will be the place to be for knowledge sharing and inspiration. We have gathered quite the assortment of speakers: elected representatives, civil servants, technical partners - all working to create sustainable and #resilient ecosystems. Our keynote speaker will be Martin Vanier, professor at the Ecole d'Urbanisme de Paris and consultant at Acadie, a cooperative consultancy. We'll see you there!