'City-zen Roadshow' Roeselare - REPORT

Abstract

The City-zen Roadshow travels with a team of internationally recognized experts, in the field of energy planning and design to help develop a sustainable agenda for cities and their neighbourhoods. It will visit 9 cities in total over a 5-year period who are seeking expert guidance on how to become more sustainable and wish to move towards energy neutrality. The overall aim of the Roadshow team is to work closely with people from the hosting city, whether they be city leaders, energy planners, local architect, professionals, academics, students and citizens. The Roadshow spends 5 days in each hosting city to deliver energy and urban design fun-shops in which all local stakeholders are welcome and encouraged to join and to take ownership of the final outcomes. Outcomes that will allow the cities recourses, both people and energy, to be directed effectively, by highlighting the energy challenges and potentials to be found in their neighbourhoods, and to finally present a sustainable ‘City Vision’.

The following report will describe the activities and outcomes of the Roeselare Roadshow that took place in Roeselare (Belgium), between the 23rd & 27th of April 2018.

The Roeselare Roadshow would not have been possible without the commitments and organisational energy of one individual. That person, Timo Wyffels, highly respected member of the Municipality of Roeselare, Energie en Duurzaamheid bij Stad Roeselare. Timo and his team of sustainability experts from the Klimaatswitch team gave continuous support during the preparations for the Roeselare SWAT Studio and later Roadshow. The Roadshow team would like to take this opportunity to thank Timo and his committed colleagues at the Municipality. We wish them well in their continued efforts to make Roeselare a zero-energy city, and wish them every success in taking the outcomes of the City-zen Roeselare Roadshow to the next level of realization.

Special mentions must also go to the Mayor of Roeselare, Kris Declercq, whose hospitality, encouragement and enthusiasm brought the Roadshow in meaningful partnership with the city. The day to day organisation and ‘engine room’ of the SWAT Studio and the Roadshow would be powered by the tenacity, amenability and zeal of one young member of the Klimaatswitch team, Janne Ruszkowski. We thank Kris and Janne for helping to make the Roadshow an impactful success.

The Huis van de Voeding (House of Food) in the city centre of Roeselare would be the home of the SWAT Studio and Roadshow during our co-creative efforts to develop a sustainable City Vision. We’d like to thank organises for the hospitality they showed to the SWAT and Roadshow team during our extended stay there. The activities and energy within the House of Food gave even greater impetus to the Roadshow team and their stakeholder partners to go to zero carbon.