Pioneer cities

A total of 47 Austrian pioneer cities are part of the ‘Climate Neutral City’ mission and are focussing on research and innovation in order to achieve the common goal - climate neutrality - even faster. These cities represent around 40% of the Austrian population.

Austrian pioneer cities are committed forerunners on the path towards climate neutrality by 2040. The Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) in cooperation with the Climate and Energy Fund supports these cities in becoming climate neutral more quickly through research and development. Specifically, the mission provides the impetus for the development and demonstration of pioneering solutions for the energy and mobility transition as well as the circular economy. In addition, thanks to the close cooperation with the federal government, the cities can make optimum use of various national and European funding programmes and initiatives.

Climate-neutral together: Pioneer Cities and Towns

Ten pioneer cities with over 50,000 inhabitants have entered into an official partnership with the BMK and have thus committed themselves to setting new standards in order to align their urban administrative structures with climate neutrality and to get climate-friendly neighbourhoods off the ground. Over the next few years, Vienna, St. Pölten, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Villach, Linz, Salzburg, Dornbirn and Wiener Neustadt will demonstrate how a resource-conserving, climate-neutral economy and way of life can be implemented in practice by realising the first climate-neutral urban districts and developing a wide range of practical measures. At the same time, the pioneering cities act as a valuable learning environment and give other Austrian cities the opportunity to benefit from their experiences and to take up strategies and activities that have already been tried and tested. As part of the capacity building programme, more than 50 new positions have already been created in these pioneering cities and filled with experts. These experts are making a significant contribution to accelerating the implementation of climate protection measures in the cities.

Other cities with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants are working as pioneer towns on climate neutrality roadmaps that include strategies and measures for the energy and mobility transition. These plans offer customised solutions and recommendations for action to reduce local emissions and achieve climate neutrality as quickly as possible.

Large and small pioneering cities have the opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge with other cities in the network, utilise synergies and take up results from research and demonstration projects. Through the accompanying processes of the 'Mission Climate Neutral City', the cities are encouraged to support each other and exchange valuable experiences - as companions and pioneers for the common goal of climate neutrality.

Map of Austria that shows the pioneer cites and towns. — Pioneer cities and towns in Austria (Source: Klima- und Energiefonds)

Support for the pioneering cities

In order to support pioneer cities on their way to climate neutrality in 2030, the BMK has launched a comprehensive support process that includes the following activities:

Activation of learning environments and support for knowledge transfer
Development and elaboration of indicators for impact measurement
Identification and development of solution modules
Activation and support for pioneer cities
Greenhouse gas balancing and indicators

The mission is supported by AustriaTech - the federal government's association for technology policy measures, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Austrian Society for Environment and Technology (ÖGUT) and the Salzburg Institute for Spatial Planning and Housing (SIR).