Urbanize! Festival: Energy and Citizens' Participation in focus

Urbanize! Festival: Energy and Citizens' Participation in focus

The "Urbanize!" Festival has started and is devoting itself to the exciting topic "Energy! Power to the people" this year. From October 8th to October 13th, visitors can take part in around 40 events that deal with the urban energy transition. Entry to these events is free.

A central element of the festival are the thematic walks, which are led by local experts. Here, the participants have the opportunity to discuss democracy and participation, while they are guided by various districts, such as the Alsergrund or an educational campus in the second district. These walks are offered both in German and in English and address individual options for action in view of the climate crisis. Topics such as "climate devices", "future stations" and "free middle" are the focus of these explorations.

democratic aspects in the focus

Festival manager Elke Rauth emphasizes that the challenges of the energy transition require innovative technical solutions and systemic change. She particularly emphasizes the need for an active urban society that wants to design its future. In addition to the presentation of technical and structural approaches, there is a major focus of the festival on the democratic aspects of the energy transition. This includes topics such as justice and citizen participation.

The opening ceremony took place on Tuesday evening on the aspangation reasons in the "Village im third". At this event, the performance artist Schudini the sensitive and energy expert Christoph Gollner discussed the energy transition and the possible counter-forces. The evening was accompanied musically by DJ Mr. Moneypenny. The festival site extends over 1,000 square meters and offers various events in the course of the festival.

During the festival, there will not only be information events and artistic performances, but also speed dating for citizens' initiatives and special formats such as a bicycle cinema. The aim is to illuminate opportunities and challenges for an alternative energy supply and to present places in Vienna where the conversion of the energy supply has already been successfully promoted.

networking options

This year the festival will be organized for the 15th time. The organizers want to bring different knowledge and different people together with the events. Their intention is to motivate guests to actively contribute and help shape them. The series of events is therefore not only part of the information, but also in the sign of participation and civil society engagement.

For more information about the festival and the planned events, See the current reporting on wien.orf.at .