he forum took place during Valencia Cities Climate Week, alongside the Cities Mission Conference and the European Urban Resilience Forum.
Municipal representatives shared initiatives and needs related to:
- local energy and climate governance;
- fossil-free cities;
- community energy;
- fair and inclusive local economies;
- resilient food systems;
- adaptation of existing buildings and infrastructure;
- participation of communities in urban transformation.
The programme highlighted actions already being implemented by cities rather than presenting climate neutrality only as a future objective.
Main lessons
The forum showed that cities did not need to begin their transition from scratch. They could build on existing infrastructure, institutions, community networks and local expertise.
The discussions emphasised:
- adapting solutions to local conditions;
- involving communities in decision-making;
- connecting climate action with social and economic priorities;
- identifying missing infrastructure and implementation capacity;
- strengthening cooperation between municipal, regional, national and European levels.
Practical value
For local and regional authorities, the event provided a useful approach to energy planning: start with the territory’s existing strengths and needs, then introduce technologies that support a broader development strategy.
This principle was also relevant to hydrogen planning. Hydrogen initiatives delivered greater value when they responded to identified local demand and complemented existing energy, industrial and mobility systems.
Further information
The Energy Cities Annual Forum page retained information about the event’s themes and objectives. The wider Valencia Cities Climate Week overview explained its connection with the Cities Mission and urban-resilience activities.