StadtKlimaVISION - Preparing an urban innovation laboratory for climate-neutral urban planning: It's starting in Linz!

Starting point / motivation

Cities, as focal points where energy, transport, buildings and industry intersect, are key players in the fight against climate change. In the new EU framework programme Horizon Europe (2021-2027), one of five missions therefore specifically relates to cities: under the title "100 climate-neutral cities by 2030 – by and for the citizens", projects are being pursued in which the "overall" climate neutrality targeted by the Commission by 2050 is to be implemented as early as 2030.

Contents and goals

This ambition is also being pursued in StadtKlimaVISION: The urban innovation lab designed in this exploratory project is intended to involve politics, business and society and support the city administration in planning and implementation of the energy and climate change.

The City of Linz is the third largest city in Austria and a good model for many Central European cities in terms of climate, economic and socio-economic development. With numerous implemented measures (e.g. resolution of a climate strategy and sustainability declaration, city climate analysis, etc.) Linz already takes a pioneering role and has the ambition to become one of the 100 European climate neutral cities by 2030. Linz will therefore act as a model region for the future urban innovation laboratory.

Methods

StadtKlimaVISION aims at finding suitable transformation paths meeting the requirements of the individual interest groups as well as the goal of climate turnaround in the city in cooperation with all stakeholders. Specifically, the project will

1. establish a stakeholder network,
2. provide the technical-scientific basis and sharpen the thematic focus of the innovation lab,
3. develop a common vision in collaboration with all stakeholders, and
4. develop a concept for an urban innovation lab for climate-neutral urban planning.

Expected results

The thematic focus in the exploratory phase is on energy, environment, built infrastructure, and planning and execution processes. The main goal of this project is to develop a ground-breaking and sustainable concept for an urban innovation lab that will act as a hub/contact/coordination point as well as a catalyst for climate-neutral urban planning, focus on supra-regional issues, involve citizens, build a network of companies, projects and initiatives and serve as an incubator for innovative projects, products and services.

The exploratory phase makes it possible to plan the implementation of the real laboratory as precisely as possible, to win over relevant stakeholders to actively participate as partners, and to identify development gaps and weak points, as well as strategies and measures for remedying or mitigating them.

Project management

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH

Project or cooperation partners

• City of Linz Environmental Management
• Smart City Consulting GmbH

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
Tanja Tötzer
Giefinggasse 2
A-1210 Vienna
Tel.: +43 (505) 50-4548
Mobil: +43 (664) 825 10 02
E-mail: tanja.toetzer@ait.ac.at
Web: www.ait.ac.at