- Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in the Northern Part of The Netherlands    1402 kb by    Dubbeling, Martin & Meijer, Michaël | martin.dubbeling@sab.nl    Short Outline This paper will explore the influence of the Energy Valley region initiative on the sustainable development of landscapes, villages and cities in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe and the northern part of Noord-Holland. Abstract Towns and cities make a substantial contribution to the climate problem. In Europe they account for more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions and about 80 per cent of all energy consumption. Sustainable urban design can make a considerable contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in cities, while adapting to climate change is an increasingly important strategy. This paper examines current Dutch climate policies at the national, regional and local levels. What are the government’s policy intentions? Are the measures realistic? Drawing on an analysis of recent studies and concrete projects, recommendations are made for climate-proof cities and regions and the Northern part of The Netherlands and the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe and the northern part of Noord-Holland in particular. 2 THE ENERGY VALLEY REGION Energy Valley is a joint initiative by the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe and the northern half of the province of Noord-Holland. Since the extraction of natural gas began 50 years ago a substantial energy sector has become established in the northern Netherlands, comprising about 400 companies provide 25,000 jobs.27 In 2007, the ministers for Economic Affairs and Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment signed an energy agreement with the four provinces. This agreement targets the production of 40 to 50 petajoules of sustainable energy and a 4.5 megatonne reduction in CO2 emissions by 2011. The main objective of Energy Valley is to strengthen the economy and employment prospects in the north of the Netherlands by further stimulating sustainable energy activities. The emphasis is on energy conservation, the production of clean fossil energy, the development of sustainable mobility and new energy technologies. 3 THIS PAPER By the beginning of 2010 Energy Valley had generated about 350 initiatives. This is the result of cooperation between companies, government authorities and research institutes on combining traditional energy activities with energy transition. Cities like Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen, Meppel, Hoogeveen and Emmen in the Energy Valley region have advanced ideas, visions and policies on becoming carbon neutral, climate neutral or even energy neutral in the coming two or three decades. This paper will explore the influence of the Energy Valley region initiative on the sustainable development of landscapes, villages and cities in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe and the northern part of Noord-Holland. Keywords Low Carbon Planning, Energytransition Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2011: LIVEABLE CITIES: URBANISING WORLD, Meeting the Challenge   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper