Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

This week, authorities in Vienna announced that Wien Energie, the city’s energy company, has set up heat pumps in one of the natural thermal water pools in the Austrian capital. Said pumps will collect heat from wastewater and feed it back to the district heating system, providing green energy for 1,900 households in the Oberlaa district.

The Swedish city is a pioneer of its own in the field of  sustainability. One of its praiseworthy initiatives was the creation of the LFM30 roadmap to climate-neutral construction. In essence, this is a large-scale collaborative platform among all the main local stakeholders involved in the construction industry, working in accord with the public administration to achieve a climate-neutral status for their city.

Residents of the German city of Stuttgart were able to enjoy free public transportation last Saturday. The action will take place 3 more times until the end of this year.

Mayor of Stuttgart Frank Nopper stated on social media: ‘’I would like to cordially invite the people of Stuttgart to take advantage of the offer and visit the city center without any parking stress or thoughts about high fuel prices.’’

The four dates have been selected after negotiations with the City Initiative Stuttgart when the matter was raised during the deliberations for the double budget 2022/2023, the city of Stuttgart announced on their website.

Viennese authorities have said that they will invest over 1 billion euros in sustainable energy in the next five years. The funds will go towards renewable projects with an increased focus on hydrogen and especially geothermal energy.

L’association Let's Food vise à accompagner les territoires à la construction de systèmes alimentaires durables et résilients en s’appuyant sur la coopération territoriale et l’échange de bonnes pratiques aux échelles locale, nationale et internationale.

The cities of Munich and Vienna partner on sustainable and climate friendly energy sources with a particularly look at geothermal for heating.

The City of Zagreb has prepared a program to support the installation of solar panels on the roofs of public buildings, privately-owned single-family homes and multi-apartment buildings, and companies in order to increase the installed capacity from the current 700 kilowatts (kW) to 50 megawatts (MW) by 2024. The capital of Croatia will provide grants for the preparation of projects for the installation of solar photovoltaic panels.

The French city wants to open sustainable transport to everybody, regardless of their means
Lyon is making available 10,000 shared bicycles for free to be used by 10,000 young people. From November, the French metropolis is launching a new service called Free Vélo’v, aiming to increase the number of sustainable transport rides, in particular among its young residents. As part of it, students who meet certain criteria will benefit from up to one year of free bicycle rent.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, a former environmental activist, has announced the introduction of a new bulky waste management system that should save Croatia’s capital EUR 4.4 million annually. The measure was part of the program of his green-left coalition We Can!, which focuses on energy transition, waste and water management, sustainable mobility, and the introduction of circular economy principles.

Depuis les années 1990, la capitale autrichienne multiplie les projets de développement urbain pour que femmes et hommes puissent profiter équitablement de l’espace public. Une démarche plus inclusive qui, certes, suscite encore des réticences, mais fait des émules au niveau européen.

Bordeaux (France) and Valencia (Spain) are the EU’s new Capitals of Smart Tourism for 2022. Representatives from the two cities will receive the official award at a formal ceremony during the European Tourism Forum in Brussels on 16 November.
The European Union initiative, taking place thanks to financing from the COSME Programme, seeks to recognize exceptional performance and achievements of European cities in the field of tourism. More specifically, there are four categories that jury uses to evaluate the candidate cities: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, and Cultural heritage and creativity.

The Swedish city is one of the exemplary models in terms of climate action
At the start of this week, Malmö’s authorities informed the public about the city’s achievements and future plans in terms of achieving climate neutrality. Although it is one of the best performing European cities in that regard, its administration (which uses 98% of fossil-free energy) seeks new ways to continue the acceleration at local, national and international levels.

Authorities in Barcelona have announced the start of a pilot test that will see the provision of free solar energy to low-income families in the city with the goal of lightening their energy bills. The electricity will be produced and provided by photovoltaic pergolas installed in public spaces around the city.

The proposed aim of the project is to see whether this is a viable path to creating self-sufficient energy communities in the Catalonian capital. Likewise, it is a way to maximize the efficient use of public space surfaces in a way that brings benefits to the communities living in their vicinity.

The Lisbon Municipal Assembly approved the proposal to make public transport free to use for young up to the age of 18, higher-education students up to the age of 23 and for elderly residents above the age of 65.
The measure, which is seen as a tool “to combat climate change”, as indicated by the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, will have a total annual cost of around 14.9 million euros, and should come into force in the coming months. The City will conclude an agreement with the public transit operator TML, which will extend the provision of free rides for the above-mentioned groups until 31 December 2025.
Social justice and decarbonization
The mayor of Lisbon is a firm advocate of the measure, which he sees as historic and as a way to make the Portuguese capital a model city in the fight against climate change.
"This step is social justice, it is justice for those who want to change the world and who really want to make the world better so that we have a planet we can live on. This measure is also justice in the decarbonization of the planet that we need so much, and this measure is to improve people's lives," he declared, as quoted by Jornal de Negocios.

Authorities in Bucharest’s Sector 1 plan to extend a solar-powered heating and hot water programme. Sustainable heating equipment and the photovoltaic system itself will be funded by the municipality,..

Il ruolo delle Comunità energetiche nello sviluppo sostenibile e l'esperienza del Comune di Modena, che ha Avviato il progetto per la creazione della prima Comunità Energetica virtuale dell’Emilia-Romagna

A growing number of cities in Europe are betting on geothermal to provide households with clean heating, but the little-known renewable energy source will need more attention from Brussels in order to scale up.

Since 2003, Munich features among the European cities pioneering the deployment of geothermal energy.

The local utility, Stadtwerke München (SWM), already operates five geothermal plants. And in its ‘Vision 2040’ strategy, the city outlined plans to continue tapping into deep geothermal with a view to provide 100% renewable heating to residents by 2040.

About 560,000 households could be powered by geothermal energy alone in two decades, the utility told German newspaper SZ.

It will remove bicycle lanes from the sidewalks of 150 streets
On 21 October, the Finnish City of Helsinki reported that it will remove bicycle lanes from the sidewalks of several streets in the suburbs. In other words, it will give pedestrians more space to walk safely and freely, without fearing that they may end up colliding with a cyclist.

Vienna received the European City of Trees award (ECOT) from the European Arboricultural Council, acknowledging the Austrian capital as a model for care in the domain of urban greenery. The Arboricultural Council also pointed to the city’s innovative knowledge-based approach for the improved adaptability of the urban environment in the face of climate change. They also held up Vienna as an outstanding example of good practices that other European cities can emulate.

Grenoble est donc "Capitale Verte Européene en 2022", c'est la deuxième ville française ainsi distinguée. Charge aux élus du territoire de tous travailler ensemble pour porter "Grenoble Capitale Verte 2022". Promis, les désaccords politiques sont, un temps, laissés de côté.

Zurich, Lausanne et Genève sont aux premiers rangs du troisième Smart Cities Index de la Business School lausannoise IMD, qui mesure la capacité des autorités locales à mettre la technologie au service des citoyens

Last week, Parma city authorities and representatives of the civil sector signed a collaboration agreement for the creation of what will be possibly the first urban food forest in Italy. The collaboration agreement is for a term of three years and aims to define the scope of interaction between the partners in the care and regeneration of common urban goods.