Sustainable urban and energy management were the main themes of this year’s seminar organised by the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” in Jadwisin. From 30 June to 1 July 2021, after the difficult last few months, a wide group of representatives of Polish cities and municipalities, as well as experts, gathered to learn about the issues related to integrated urban planning and the use of renewable energy soures in district heating, both network and individual. The participants, had the opportunity not only to listen to expert presentations and to take part in panel discussions, but also to consult and exchange experiences in small groups during an interactive good practices session.

The seminary was kicked-off  by Marek Bąbolski – Deputy Mayor of Serock, Adam Ruśniak – Deputy President of the Board of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” and Anna Jaskuła – Executive Director of the Office of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités”.

The session about “Sustainable energy and urban management” was opened by Joanna Wis-Bielewicz, who presented a new framework for climate and energy policy in the European Union, as well as the planned support instruments for local authorities, which were the main subject of a speech by Marta Babicz, Director of the External Funds Department at the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW). She presented possibilites related, among others, to Norwegian funds, the National Reconstruction Plan, and the main directions of financing which NFOŚiGW is planning to launch in the coming years. Patrycja Płonka, representing our Association, then presented the concept of integrated urban planning as a tool which assists the city in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. She spoke about the best good practices of the MULTIPLY project, which is dedicated to a holistic approach to city management, combining energy management, sustainable transport and spatial planning.

After this interesting introduction, participants of the event were invited to join the panel discussion in order to share their perspective and experiences related to urban development in the context of just transformation during a conversation moderated by Joanna Wis-Bielewicz. Participants included: Marta Babicz – representative of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Adam Ruśniak – Deputy Mayor of Bielsko-Biała, Przemysław Major – Deputy Mayor of Cieszyn, Mariusz Bałaban – Mayor of Besko municipality and NGO representative – Zuzanna Sasiak from the Polish Green Network.

During the panel discussion, the participants discussed together the challenges faced by cities and municipalities today, i.e. the problem of air quality, climate change and adaptation to its already observed negative effects. Representatives of local government agreed, on the particular importance of raising their awareness of the actions undertaken by the city, and on effective and proven methods of activating citizens. Another important point of the debate was the use of renewable energy sources in the municipality, their promotion among the inhabitants and, last but not least, the sources of financing of such activities, for which, according to the representative of NFOŚiGW , funds have already been set aside.

The next part of the meeting was also dedicated to sustainable urban management. The importance of urban planning and the concept of compact cities was discussed by Maciej Mycielski of Mycielski Architecture&Urbanism. The topic of the impact of sustainable transport and mobility on energy consumption and GHG reduction was taken up by Rafał Bajczuk from the Foundation for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles, while the modern monitoring and robotisation of document management in the Bydgoszcz City Hall was discussed jointly by a representative of Pomorska Grupa Konsultingowa Romuald Meyer and representatives of ForProgress: Anna Chacińska and Marcin Kotkowski.

 In the afternoon, the participants met again in the conference room to benefit from the experience of guests invited by the Association. The topics of the session were divided between four separate tables. At the first table, based on the experience of Minsk Mazowiecki and presented by the deputy Mayor Eliza Bujalska, the development of the city and the involvement of residents in urban planning were discussed. Involving residents in the city’s pro-climate measures was also discussed with Katarzyna Kordas, who told the assembled participants about the details of the long-term cooperation between citizens, schools and officials as a part of the campaign conducted by the City Hall in Bielsko-Biała. The participants also had the opportunity to talk about the idea of sustainable transport and mobility in the city of Ostrołęka, as well as about the problems faced by cities that want to develop in the most climate-friendly way possible, while providing residents with the highest quality infrastructure and services. There was also a lot of interest in the subject of the energy cooperative which is to be established in Serock. The guest discussed these plans and the exected savings together with Jakub Szymański – a representative of the Municipal and Communal Office of Serock.

The seminar “Sustainable energy and urban management as a response to new climate and energy challenges” was a good opportunity to learn more about integrated urban development planning and the potential of renewable energy sources in district heating. After months of restrictions, participants interested in sustainable energy and urban management were able to meet, discuss, exchange experiences and broaden their knowledge in these fields. We would like to thank all representatives of local authorities, experts and speakers for their participation in the event and invite you to read the materials below.