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CONSENSUS is currently managing Bridging to the
Future, a two-year project sponsored by the
International Gas Union (IGU) - a group that
represents the energy industry worldwide. |
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Bridging to the Future (BttF) is an
international project that will demonstrate how
urban regions can begin to manage the
transition to sustainable energy systems. A
successful transition requires long-term,
integrated planning and must make the best use
of existing resources, including fossil fuels
and renewable. The project is the second phase
of the IGU Sustainable Urban System Design (SUSD)
competition, which took place between 2001-2003
and facused on the creation of 100-year designs
for nine existing metropolitan areas. |
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Team Canada's citiesPLUS submission won the SUSD competition. Canada's team leaders were
invited by the IGU to create a process to deepen
the learning by using the results to create more
detailed strategic sustainability plans and
demonstrations. Bridging to the Future is
Canada's response to the IGU in this regard - a
response the IGU has endorsed as an exciting
next step. Working with the IGU, CONSENSUS has
created a unique collaborative process for
developing an international approach to
integrated, long-term urban energy planning. |
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Participating teams are located in Europe, North
America, India and China. Each team is
contributing methods and tools that enrich the
framework. The tooks, and all of the learning,
are being shared with all interested parties
through the project web site:
www.bridgingtothefuture.org. The web site
describes the project structure and method,
beginning with five major objectives: |
1.
Integrate Energy Planning into Other
Urban
Systems |
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2. Explore
Resilient Solutions |
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3. Plan
Collaboratively |
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4. Adopt
the long View |
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5. Use
Standard Methods and Tools |
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Bridging to the Future will produce the
following outputs: |
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Energy
pathways for at least four very different
urban regions, each prepared within the
context of a 100-year plan; |
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A method for
energy planning that is integrated aross
multiple urban systems, long-term,
field-tested, open-source, transferable and
collaborative; |
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A web site and
book that will allow other local govenments
and planners to compare results throught a
common interface of 3D renderings, scales,
flow chats, maps and graphic; |
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Recommendations for how the urban sector and
the energy industry - especially natural gas
and electrical utilities - can integrate
planning and there by contribute to urban
sustainability; |
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Recommendations on instututional changes for
urban regions undetaking energy plans;
Detailed plans for a set of pilot project -
'catalyst' sites and policies - in each
urban regions. |
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