Bridging to the Future is an international project to help urban regions manage the difficult transition to sustainable energy systems. A successful transition requires longterm, integrated planning for all urban systems, and making the best use of existing resources, including fossil fuels and renewables.

The current phase of the project extends from June 2004 to June 2006. Individuals and teams around the world are co-operating to develop 30-year strategic energy pathways for their urban regions, and in the process sharing insights, ideas, tools, and data. This website supports this community, enabling participants to explore, discuss, and exchange their ideas, data, and results.

The Sustainability Management Framework (SMF) presented on this site helps teams to create results which are action-oriented, rigorous, accountable and comparable.

Intended Outputs in June 2006

• Energy pathways for each of the four participating urban regions, with truly comparable results
• Proposals for demonstration projects in each urban region, consistent with the new pathways
• A method for integrated longterm urban energy and physical planning that is field-tested, transferable,collaborative, and documented
• Recommendations for the energy industry, and especially the natural gas utilities worldwide, on how to contribute to urban sustainability & prosperity