CITYnvest - interview http://www.citynvest.eu/tags/interview en Five questions to Yolanda Muñoz Gómez http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-yolanda-mu%C3%B1oz-g%C3%B3mez-0 <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/Yolanda%20Mu%C3%B1oz%20G%C3%B3mez.jpg?itok=lXI2l0He"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" src="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/Yolanda%20Mu%C3%B1oz%20G%C3%B3mez.jpg?itok=lXI2l0He" width="182" height="208" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>Yolanda Muñoz Gómez is General-Secretary of the Regional Ministry for Development and Infrastructures in the Region of Murcia</em><br /><em>Graduated in Law, specialised in EU law, Construction Law and Administrative Law, Yolanda was a Legal Advisor for the Urban Planning Department at Las Torres de Cotillas Municipality (1998-2008). At that Council, she was also Town Councillor for Urban Planning, Architecture, Housing, Transport, Public Works and Municipal Services (2003-2011). From April 2014, she works as General-Secretary of the Regional Ministry for Development and Infrastructures in the Region of Murcia.</em></p> <p><strong>Could you describe in a few words the innovative approach applied to the buildings renovation of the Region of Murcia? What kind of buildings were renovated? What was the result?</strong><br /> The Government of the Region of Murcia, through the Regional Ministry of Development and Infrastructure, is carrying out the so-called Housing Plan 2013-2016. This plan, executed within the framework of the Royal Decree 233/2013, is aimed at developing the Program for the promotion of building rehabilitation. Through this Program, the Ministry of Development offers an Aid Plan for building rehabilitation.<br /><u>The main objective of this plan is to promote new strategies for urban rehabilitation, regeneration and renovation that will allow urban centers to become more valuable, but also to improve tourist attractions, to generate employment and to re-launch the construction sector.</u><strong> </strong>Likewise, promoting energy savings and boosting the materials industry, it is a decisive commitment to the energy efficiency of our buildings.<br /><u>This aid is co-financed through a multi-level structure, which includes the European Union (ERDF), the National Ministry of Development and our own Ministry, which contributes 20% to the funds.</u> Before applying, every building is required to pass an inspection test that guarantees that it meets a minimum quality check. As a result, the competent technician prepares the Building Evaluation Report, an essential requirement to acquire the status of beneficiary of the grant. In this way, the administration can assure an efficient use of public funds.<br /> The buildings granted are residential, including commercial premises. Intensity of the grant for energy rehabilitation depends on the level of improvement in energy efficiency achieved, which should be a minimum reduction of 30% of the demand of energy, and a maximum of a 50%.<br /> To sum up, during the period 2013-2016, this Program has carried out the <u>rehabilitation of 144 buildings</u> (2.929 houses), which has <u>contributed to the generation of 512 new employments. Investments accomplished in building rehabilitation are worth 9.141.945 €. </u>These interventions have been boosted by 4.309.978 € grants awarded (47% total investment). Main actions were the improvement of accessibility and conservation of the buildings.<br /> Regarding the geographic distribution of the investments, 40,97% of the actions have been carried out in the municipality of Murcia, 21,53% in Cartagena, followed by Cieza (8.33%), Águilas (5.56%), Alcantarilla (5,56%), Torre Pacheco (3.8%) and Caravaca (3.47%).</p> <p><strong>Why did you decide to use this kind of financing tool in your region for building rehabilitation? </strong><br /><u>The economic situation of Spanish families</u> (and the Region of Murcia) <u>did not make it advisable to base grants on financing instruments</u>. In most cases, families in need of this type of aid did not have easy access to credit and the plan could have been a failure under such conditions. In order to support the development of residential rehabilitation projects, <u>we opted for direct grants</u>, based on previously developed projects that may offer guarantees endorsed by the competent technicians.<br /> Finally, the development of the Plan proved us right and results speak for themselves: 2.929 houses have been rehabilitated under such unfavourable economic situation for all citizens.</p> <p><strong>Once the Plan is being implemented, how useful do you find the innovative approach that you applied? What advantages did you appreciate?</strong><br /> It is convenient and necessary to establish minimum criteria of quality for the buildings so that public money is well used and the investments have a minimum durability.<br /> On the other hand, the detection of specially deteriorated areas, which we have called ARRU (Regeneration and Urban Renewal Areas), has allowed us to sign agreements with some municipalities in the Region in order to stimulate investment in the rehabilitation of buildings<u>, allocating a specific budget line for redevelopment of the area</u>. This instrument has been playing a key role when disseminating and spreading the plan, reaching as many citizens as possible.</p> <p><strong>What were the biggest problems in the implementation of the Plan in the Region of Murcia?</strong><br /> Without hazard of a doubt, <u>economic difficulties that are going through</u><strong> </strong>(or were going through at that time) <u>the families in our region, have greatly restricted their co-financing capacity</u>. Thus, even having shown their interest in energy rehabilitation schemes, many of them could not take the step forward to make their houses more efficient.<br /> What is more, not only did budget adjustments in national and regional administrations meant a limitation on the available budget, but also an opportunity to make a highly efficient use of public resources made available to the citizens</p> <p><strong>How do you evaluate the whole experience?</strong><br /> Overall,<u> it has been a very positive experience</u>. Being the first plan that included energetic rehabilitation of buildings, the efforts developed in dissemination actions have been extraordinary. Hence, despite the novelty of the initiative and the adverse conjuncture, a significant number of actions have been implemented. Said that, I would like to point out that now the way is well smoothed. The message has got through. Citizens are now aware of the benefits of energy rehabilitation of buildings. And we are motivated enough to keep on this track with the upcoming plans.<br />  </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/murcia" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Murcia</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/interview" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">interview</a></div></div></div> Thu, 23 Mar 2017 09:39:20 +0000 mariagiovanna.zamburlini@ccre-cemr.org 656 at http://www.citynvest.eu http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-yolanda-mu%C3%B1oz-g%C3%B3mez-0#comments Five questions to Bob D'Haeseleer http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-bob-dhaeseleer <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/wind-farm-1747331_1280.jpg?itok=uCsdiXqv"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" src="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/wind-farm-1747331_1280.jpg?itok=uCsdiXqv" width="480" height="320" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>Bob D'Haeseleer is a local depute for spatial planning, housing, youth and sustainability in Eeklo and  a representative of the Board of Directors and of the General Assembly of Vereniging voor Openbaar Groen (VVOG).</em></p> <p><strong>Can you shortly describe the project where you applied the innovative financing models?</strong></p> <p>When we started working on the cooperative model in Eeklo, the market for wind energy was not saturated yet and we had a freedom to design the project the way we wanted to. Instead of trying to sell the land to wind developers, we decided to establish a fixed price (5000 EUR per wind turbine per year) and ask bidding companies for non-monetary offers so all citizens, who are affected by presence of the wind turbines can also benefit from them. That is how Ecopower, a fully cooperative company, has been selected to build and operate those wind turbines.</p> <p>In this model, citizens can buy shares of the wind plant and each year receive a part of the profit from the produced energy. But that is not all. Also the citizens who didn’t want to or weren’t able to invest in the shares, can gain from the wind turbines. How is that possible? Well, each year Ecopower allocates 5000 EUR per wind turbine into an environmental fund. Then, this environmental fund is used for other green energy or energy efficiency projects. For example, a part of the money from the environmental fund were used as subsidies for inhabitants who carried out energy efficiency renovations of their houses. We have also used those money to set up a solar roof for a bike station, where electric bikes can be charged for free, and bought a bio-gas turbine to connect the city heating with the gas network etc.</p> <p>Thus, the environmental fund is not allocated in one big project but supports several smaller initiatives. Often, that may seem counter-intuitive to politicians, as they prefer to develop one big project, which can be showed off at the end of their terms. However, our model works and is more sustainable, as it is oriented on long-term thinking. And especially in ecological projects, such a holistic approach is needed.</p> <p><strong>Why did you decide to use such a model in Eeklo?</strong></p> <p>The municipality decided to set up that kind of model in order to share the benefits of wind energy with citizens and convince them to the wind power. The idea came from the administration of the city. Actually, it was one of the civil servants who proposed this solution in order to optimize the project, instead of maximizing it. We wanted to make sure that the inhabitants of Eeklo will benefit from this project over many year and make a sustainable connection between the project developer and the municipality.</p> <p><strong>What advantages of this model can you see?</strong></p> <p>I can see 3 main advantages of our model:</p> <ol><li>Democratic support of the whole community for the wind energy. The great thing about this approach is, that it builds support for wind power amongst citizen. While in other municipalities in Belgium there is growing resistance against wind turbines, it is not the case in Eeklo. We believe that wind is a common good so profits that come from wind should be a common good.</li> <li>This approach boosts local economy and helps the citizens to live better. Socio-economically, Ekklo is one of the poorest municipalities in Flanders. Our model allows us to keep the profit local through community projects and the cooperative structure of the economic model, thus the income of citizens can increase.</li> <li>One of the extra benefits Ecopower offers to Eeklo is an energy consultant assigned to the city. This consultant is hired by Ecopower but advises the city. He helps us set up new projects and decide which buildings in the city should be renovated. He also looks for other energy efficient solutions that could be applied.  </li> </ol><p> <strong>What where the biggest problems in implementation of this innovative model in your municipality?</strong></p> <p>The biggest problem is, that our approach is new and we need to convince people that it is a good investment and to buy the shares.  As the support from the local community is necessary, we had to find credible advocates for the project within this community. We managed and all first three wind turbines were funded by local citizens. But then, that’s not enough. Continuous communication with citizens is necessary for the success of such a project.</p> <p><strong>How do you evaluate the whole experience?</strong></p> <p>It is extremely interesting and positive to see that the different approach than the normal market model can lead to long-term benefits. There is one very crucial thing we have learnt. It is not only important to set up an energy project but to get the right organizational structure and the right financing model behind it. These are the real key success factors. The green energy projects should not be only about the percentage of green energy produces or saved. They should be about much more – about how to connect the energy revolution with the democratic revolution and to try to give back the power to the people.</p> <p>More information on the cooperative model developed in Eeklo can be found in our <a href="http://citynvest.eu/content/cooperative-case-ecopower">Innovative Financing Models matrix</a>.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/ekklo" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ekklo</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/cooperative" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">cooperative</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/interview" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">interview</a></div></div></div> Tue, 10 Jan 2017 09:13:28 +0000 agnieszka 640 at http://www.citynvest.eu http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-bob-dhaeseleer#comments Five questions to Célia Morais Laranjeira http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-c%C3%A9lia-morais-laranjeira <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/Agueda.jpg?itok=GE1iLSv6"><img typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" src="http://www.citynvest.eu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images-news/Agueda.jpg?itok=GE1iLSv6" width="480" height="360" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>Célia Morais Laranjeira is the head of the Division of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Águeda. She participated in the works of the <a href="http://www.regiaosustentavel.pt/agencia/a-agencia/municipios-associados" target="_blank">Inter-municipal team of the agency for sustainability and Competitiveness projects</a>, the <a href="https://agueda21.wordpress.com/agueda21/grupo-coordenador/" target="_blank">Coordinator group of the Local Agenda 21</a> and the Covenant of Mayors team in Águeda.</em></p> <p> <strong>Can you shortly describe the project where you applied the innovative financing models? What financing instruments did you use?</strong><br /> Águeda is a small but one of the most industrialized cities in Portugal. It used to be infamous for being polluted, however now it is recognized as one of the most sustainable cities in the country. We decided to develop a revolving fund for energy and water efficiency. This fund was established in order to finance municipal initiatives thus it is not accessible for private entities or individuals. Through this fund, we support various departments of our municipality in carrying out renovations of buildings that are owned by them. The fund helps to retrofit schools, libraries, stadiums and other municipal buildings. However, not all refurbishments can be covered by this revolving fund, only the parts of investments that are related to energy or water efficiency. Let’s imagine that you want to retrofit a school and the project includes implementing micro-generation units and changing pavement in front of the school. Our revolving fund will finance only one part of the project: the micro generation units but not the renovation of the pavement.   </p> <p><strong>How did the idea of developing a revolving fund come to you?</strong><br /> Well, Águeda  was kind of chosen. We are one of the partner cities of the Infinite Solutions project and we were responsible for developing a revolving fund.</p> <p><strong>How useful do you find the innovative financing instruments? What advantages can you see?</strong><br /> The revolving fund helps to implement the renovation projects sooner than it would have happened if the fund did not exist. In Águeda, we understand the importance of implementing  energy efficiency measures but sometimes it is not easy to demonstrate to the public that thanks to those investments we can really save money. The revolving fund can publicly demonstrate, that by implementing energy efficiency measures we are making savings and that is an additional benefit of this financing instrument.</p> <p><strong>What where the biggest problems in implementation of the innovative financing models in your municipality?</strong><br /> We still are experiencing some difficulties. The first one was related to developing regulations for the fund. We got inspired by our partners from other European countries but they function in different realities and legislative frameworks. We had to adapt they experiences to our Portuguese reality and develop regulations that would be in line with the Portuguese law. Also receiving approval for those regulations from the city council and the city assembly was a long process.  </p> <p><strong>How do you evaluate the whole experience?</strong><br /> There were some difficulties, development of a revolving fund it’s not a piece of cake. However the benefits of this fund in Águeda are significant and allow us to realise our policy goals.</p> <p> More information about the project carried out in Águeda can be found <a href="http://www.energy-cities.eu/Agueda-Portugal" target="_blank">on the website</a>.</p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/%C3%A1gueda" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Águeda</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/interview" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">interview</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/revolving-fund" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">revolving fund</a></div></div></div> Tue, 06 Dec 2016 09:51:22 +0000 agnieszka 614 at http://www.citynvest.eu http://www.citynvest.eu/content/five-questions-c%C3%A9lia-morais-laranjeira#comments