R4E – Related and Linked Projects Part 3 – Introducing the “FosterREG Project”.

 As part of our commitment to creating a learning community and disseminating the actions and outcomes of the Roadmaps for Energy (R4E) Project, we are connecting with other EU funded projects, cooperating, sharing information and practises. Which is why we will dedicate a few of our posts to introducing these projects.

The FosterREG Project

Training for Public Officers Involved in Urban Regeneration

FosterREG aims at enhancing public capacity at local, regional and national levels to plan, finance and manage integrated urban regeneration for sustainable energy uptake, through capacity building, promotion and articulation of effective multilevel coordination, and national as well as European network strengthening. These objectives will be achieved through public stakeholders’ engagement in joint analysis and knowledge development activities, as well as creation and dissemination of targeted training materials and activities across Europe.

The lack of proper coordination of aspects related to regulation, financing and management of energy efficiency measures within urban regeneration initiatives, as well as the frequent misalignment of public stakeholders at different levels, are hindering the potential benefits of addressing these processes from an integrated perspective.

To overcome these challenges the FosterREG will focus on building public authorities´ capacity for designing, planning, financing and managing measures geared towards integrating energy efficient renovation of buildings within urban regeneration strategies.

The project approaches capacity building from a participatory perspective, understanding that learning is most efficient when it is driven by the learner. The first step to building capacity is to identify what kind of capacity is lacking. Collaborative analysis of current barriers and opportunities in the implementation of energy efficiency measures within urban regeneration plans should help clarify this aspect. Mechanisms such as peer-to-peer learning and best practices sharing will also contribute towards this end.

However, barriers are not only caused by lack of capacity, but also by lack of coordination and alignment among policies and plans at different levels of government. In order to enhance multilevel coordination, the project will create a collaborative work space among public authorities at different levels in each of the participant countries.

Collaborative work will mainly consist of jointly analysing the barriers and opportunities of the regulatory framework, management procedures and financing mechanisms. This process will conclude at a national two-day workshop in each of the participating countries, where an integrated analysis of such aspects will be developed, in order to jointly produce proposals for improvement and identify areas where training is most needed.

For more information:

http://www.fosterreg.eu/