The CITYMINDED Final Conference “Pathways towards the green transition of European urban area” took place in the premises of the Italian Union, Pula on 22 November 2022. About 80 participants interested in the topics of urban sustainability and decarbonisation of urban areas were welcomed by the CITYMINDED project team. The aim of the conference was to present the CITYMINDED project results and to further disseminate examples of good practices from the partner countries in the fields related to urban planning, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and adaptation to climate change.
The conference began with an opening speech by the director of IRENA – Istrian Regional Energy Agency, Mr Valter Poropat, who pointed out that climate change is one of the biggest problems we face, and a successful green transition will not be possible without skilled professional profiles who will be able to solve challenging problems we face in the decarbonisation process, especially in the urban areas, given that more than 70% of Europeans live in cities and urban areas. The project activities aim to influence the fulfilment of the needs of higher education in areas related to urban sustainability, which often lack an interdisciplinary approach and real-world experiences.
The regular program of the conference started with the presentation of the general features of the project CITYMINDED, presented by the project manager, Mr Andrea Poldrugovac from IRENA. In its presentation, Mr Poldrugovac presented how the idea for the project was developed and what were the main project activities and expected results.
After the introductory part, the results of the CITYMINDED project were presented in the first session of the conference. Mr Matteo Maccanti from the University of Siena presented the Methodology for the establishment of CITYMINDED itinerant workshops, Ms Josefina Lopez Galdeano from the University Pablo de Olavide reflected on the results of the workshops held in Seville, Siena and Rome, while Ms Francesca Paola Mondelli from the University of Roma Tre presented the developed modular online course on the decarbonisation of urban areas, which was developed for students and professors, but also for all those who want to expand their knowledge in the field of urban sustainability and decarbonisation.
The second session of the conference was aimed at presenting examples of good practices in the field of urban planning, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and adaptation to climate change, all with the aim of successfully implementing the green transition of European urban areas. Mr Yago Martín Gonzalez from the University Pablo de Olavide emphasized the importance of risk detection, vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to climate change, Ms Michela Marchi from the University of Siena referred to the work of the University in the area of carbon footprint calculation, while the presentation by Mr Lorenzo Barbieri from the University of Roma Tre was focused on the experiences of Roma Tre University in the field of energy planning and implementation of various projects focused on the topics of climate change and decarbonisation. As an example of good practice at the local level, Ms Gordana Lalić from the City of Poreč presented solutions for sustainable transport and mobility in the service of achieving the goals of the European energy and climate policy in the area of the City of Poreč. The second session concluded with a presentation by Mr Mladen Bajramović from the IUR association, “Raša, a masterpiece of Modern architecture” as a unique example of urban planning.
The third and final session of the conference was focused on presenting examples of good practices in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. In his presentation, Dalibor Jovanović from IRENA referred to the position of buildings protected as cultural assets in the processes of energy transition, while Robert Mohorović from the City of Labin presented a successful example of energy renovation of multi-apartment buildings carried out in cooperation with the City of Labin and the city company Labin Stan. The last two presentations of the conference focused on one of the most current topics, namely energy communities and the use of renewable energy sources. Diane Cassar from MIEMA explained the concept of energy communities, how they function and how they can be organized, while Mr Ugo Toić from the energy cooperative Apsyrtides from the island of Cres presented the concept of establishing energy communities in the area of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago.
