Traditionally broached from an economic or technical point of view, energy has gradually become a cultural, citizen, territorial, civilizational and governance issue.From a territorial perspective, cities are facing great challenges in order to engage in a transition towards a low energy future, while offering a high quality of life for all.This transition needs the involvement of many stakeholders and the co-creation of innovative and integrated solutions. As well, it requires a cross sectoral approach and a common vision to be pursued in order to give a framework to the joint efforts of all engaged stakeholders.The IMAGINE project proposes to address these challenges through interregional exchanges of knowledge and experience. In the end, it will enable cities to review and assess their own transition strategy and to elaborate Local Energy Roadmaps 2050 thanks to the engagement of local stakeholders around local authorities (LAs).IMAGINE aims at contributing tothe understanding of local governance, while focusing on local stakeholder dialogue and the local co-construction process of a long-term vision of the energy future of a city. The outputs of this participative process will then be integrated in the LAs policies and action plans. It is intended to capitalise on existing local activities in order to evaluate and exchange experiences to get a better understanding of governance mechanisms.In order to do so, IMAGINE will focus on- Developing and testing a methodology to assess local energy transition strategies from a governance perspective, as well as from a territorial and multi-stakeholder perspective- Identify success factors and possibilities to reproduce the activities, but also address challenges- Identify existing participative tools and methodsThe partnership consists of 8 local authorities throughout Europe, a European city network as lead partner and an academic partner.Practically, a seriesof interregional seminars will be held throughout the project in order to focus on local case studies, bring in conceptual inputs and exchange practices. Exchange will also take place during low energy cities workshops, peer review workshops and mayors/political leaders seminars. Each participating city will run a series of local forums in order to progress on its local Energy Roadmap.Final output will be the Low Energy Cities Policy Handbook, including local case studies and participative tools. It will also present workshop and seminars outputs and give policy guidelines.As results, participating cities will - have a clear view of their local transition strategy, - benefit from knowledge and know-how exchanges in order to create local sustainable energy partnerships including relevant local stakeholders around the LA - have developed a Local Energy Roadmap for 2050 and an approved and shared local vision of the energy future of the city, which will influence local policies. Achievements: The transition to a more sustainable society will require more than technology: we will need imaginative people and cities, with a sense for innovation, cooperation and a willingness to change. IMAGINE is a production centre of ideas, best practices, tools and implementation methods, woven by actors from all fields and decision levels. IMAGINE Low Energy Cities project provides a framework to help cities and towns take the lead on energy and territory issues and to integrate sustainable energy policies in their urban development process. The city of the future will not be achieved by local authorities alone. Stakeholders and citizens involvement and contribution are essential. After the starting phase during the first period of the project, the second period of the project was a development phase. The project partners are getting acquainted with the INTERREG IVC format and activities have really started. The city partners have been starting their work towards the local stakeholders. Local forums have been taking place in Munich, Dobrich, Lille, Milton Keynes, Odense, Bistrita and Modena. The forums allowed these local authorities to get in contact with local stakeholders and start a dialogue that will lead towards a local vision and ultimately towards a local energy roadmap 2050. Those forums were run using diverse methods. In many cases, external participation experts have worked with the local authority (also to prove the neutrality of the process). IMAGINE has also proved valuable from an internal perspective. Many city partners reported an added value in having a transversal discussion and exchange with their colleagues from other department with whom they were not used to work and discuss aboutsustainable energy issues. The work around the integrated assessment grid has also progressed. In parallel, case studies have been started, focusing on the case of Munich, and reflexion on local energy roadmaps 2050 is taking place. The Low Energy Workshops that took place in Februar in Lille and in September in Bistrita offered a good opportunity for that work. In parallel, four webinars were organised to keep an on-going exchange between the partners. Highlight of the project so far was the first IMAGINE seminar which took place in Munich in December. The seminar was opened with a successful political session. Many European stakeholders discussed the energy transition at local level. From a local perspective, a focus on the city of Munich was made. Many local stakeholders gathered to discuss with the local authorities representatives and the other partners of the project. Finally, a focus on Group Model Building was made. During the different meetings, focus was made on how to involve local political leaders and stakeholders. The project has its own website (www.imaginelowenergycities.eu) and has published a leaflet, which was translated in four languages already. The project was also presented in diverse events in Europe (Naples, Malmö, Brussels, Hamburg). The first project e-newsletter went out in September 2012 and the second in December 2012. The IMAGINE project participated into the Capitalisation Programme initiated by the INTERREG programme.