Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

As part of Sustainable Energy Week 2014, the Renault-Nissan Alliance partnered with the Delegation of Catalonia to the EU to host a panel discussion on “The Liveable City” on June 25.

The event brought together eight panelists to debate the concept of a “liveable city” and to brainstorm long-term solutions for the cities of the future. The panelists represented an international mix of key stakeholders, from cities to think tanks to electric vehicle manufacturers.

Attendees were encouraged to position their solutions around three pillars: people, mobility and the environment.

Underlying the discussion was the urgency of preparing for the obstacles ahead. “In 2050 the population of the major cities in the world will have doubled, and this will present formidable challenges, including mobility,” said Francesc Corberó of Nissan. Indeed, Manuel Valdés and Eric Regterschot, representatives for the cities of Barcelona and Amsterdam respectively, agreed that improving public transport is the first step to increasing mobility while moving towards the ideal of a zero emissions city.

Yet, as Sylvain Haon, Secretary General of Polis warned, increasing infrastructure is merely one part of the equation. The liveable city of the future must focus on its citizens, whose lifestyle and behavior will play a vital role in the success of green technologies. “A liveable city must be a smart city,” he clarified, emphasizing that sustainability and new technology are inextricably linked.

For example, electric vehicles will need to replace their internal combustion counterparts, said Olivier Paturet, General Manager Zero Emissions of Nissan Europe. The only way to achieve this is by educating drivers and constantly giving them the chance to experience driving an electric vehicle, be it through EV car sharing programs or test-drives, such as the one offered during the conference itself. Participants could choose between four Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicles: the Renault Zoe and Twizy as well as the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200.

Certainly, cities must give citizens the chance to perform meaningful actions, noted Ben Ferrari, Director of Corporate Partnerships at the Climate Group. As Valdés remarked succinctly, "Everything is ready, what is missing is that people need to make the transition to use the new technology.”

For more information, visit the event page on the EU Sustainable Energy Week website, and read the press release here.

Picture credits: Photos courtesy of David Plas for Nissan.