Task 4: Climate Neutral Districts

Background

The need for decarbonisation across all levels of society is clear. Municipalities play a pivotal role due to established instruments and cross-sectoral impact. Climate Neutral Districts (CNDs) represent a crucial urban strategy for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating sustainable energy systems, enhancing energy efficiency, and promoting low-carbon lifestyles. With accelerating urbanisation, cities are emerging as central actors in climate change mitigation, and CNDs are positioned to lead this transition. Developing robust methodologies and adaptable frameworks for CNDs is essential for aligning urban planning with ambitious climate targets. These methodologies encompass technical innovations as well as social and governance mechanisms, including data-sharing platforms, analytical frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and governance models. Adaptable frameworks enhance the precision and transparency of environmental assessments, providing critical baseline data and revealing optimal, impactful solution pathways. This approach enables cities to track progress, allocate resources effectively, and achieve climate-neutral objectives, while maintaining social and economic balance. Collectively, these frameworks streamline fragmented efforts, offering scalable models that empower cities and project developers to meet sustainability goals.

Districts are a pivotal point of this development because they allow a holistic perspective including mobility and other services that cannot be addressed on the building level. It is also a suitable level for municipal intervention and planning, although previous research on PEDs has shown distinct gaps in suitable instruments and processes.