Creating a vision of a desired future is one thing, but how do you identify the steps to actually get there? That was the theme of the second POCACITO workshop organized by UNDP Croatia in HUB Zagreb on December 2. It came barely two weeks after the first workshop with the vision narratives that were created in the first workshop still fresh in participants' minds. During the first part of the workshop, heated discussions worked to define the final vision of the City of Zagreb. Although almost every participant had their own view on the most important aspects of the vision, eventually they came out with a narrative which pleased them all.

The backcasting method was used to identify the structures and institutions needed to make the vision a reality, examining questions like where the city should start and what it has already done that might be useful. In the first round, key drivers that may influence the anticipated vision such as climate change were presented. After this was done, the backcasting began in two stages. Firstly, workshop participants made ‘The Transition Timeline’ – a long board showing a line running from 2015 to 2050, onto which people were invited to post opportunities, challenges, milestones and objectives written on Post-it notes. Secondly, workshop participants were invited to backcast in groups, exchange ideas and work together to identify the strategic objectives and measures in the journey towards the future they had envisioned. Participants expressed their satisfaction with the process of shaping low carbon pathways for the City of Zagreb, hoping that this process will lead to real actions that will turn the vision into a reality.