The Transatlantic Climate and Energy Dialogue: Urban and Regional Transportation and Energy Problems and Solutions

AGI’s is undertaking a project on “The Transatlantic Climate and Energy Dialogue: Urban and Regional Transportation and Energy Problems and Solutions” in 2012. This project will continue the transatlantic climate and energy dialogue at the regional level by focusing specifically on the linkages between transportation and energy management for urban communities in Germany and the U.S.  The transportation sector in both countries is uniquely dependent on fossil fuels.  Over time and compared to the housing, industry, and commerce sectors transportation has not been able to significantly curb its fossil fuel-based energy use.

Urban communities on both sides of the Atlantic face economic and environmental challenges related to sustainable urban transportation, particularly the inter-related issues of sustainable energy and mobility.   Decisions that are made now will have a far-reaching impact on the environment and energy usage in the coming decades. This project is designed to bring together policymakers and practitioners from two urban regions in the U.S. and Germany to compare challenges and best-practice solutions in two half-day workshops. The workshops will also include several technical and policy experts and scholars who will present working papers which will then be revised and published as two Policy Reports (one for each workshop) to be widely distributed in Germany and the U.S.

The project will consist of these two workshops and two Policy Reports, focusing on tworesearch topics: 1) Financing Energy-Efficient Urban and Regional Transportation Systems and 2) Planning for Sustainable Urban Transportation.