Climate pioneer city Salzburg
Short Description
Starting point / motivation
Since 2012, the city of Salzburg has been dedicated to sustainable development through its Smart City Initiative, implementing various innovative projects in energy planning, communal and residential buildings, mobility, energy generation and distribution, as well as aspects of lifestyle and quality of life, all aimed at fulfilling the Smart City Master plan2025. With the call for projects regarding pioneer cities, the federal ministry (BMK) creates the opportunity to change the structures within the city administration of Salzburg in the long term towards achieving climate neutrality via a public cooperation partnership. Being fully aware of its responsibility as main provider of services of general interest and for the benefit of all Salzburg residents, the city of Salzburg is now setting the course for the upcoming years to be climate-neutral until the year 2040. For this purpose, in May 2023 the city of Salzburg made a policy decision in the council to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.
What is special about our city?
The city of Salzburg is a vibrant centre of culture and knowledge, and its historic buildings are not only a source of inspiration in its own country. The beauty of the city, which is significantly characterised by the landscape of the surrounding mountains and the Salzach river, is not only a symbol of home, but also a valuable retreat that needs to be preserved. Innovative ideas and measures are therefore needed to maintain the quality of life and strengthen the town's future viability. This process should be organised holistically with the citizens in order to create a social and climate-friendly city for future generations.
Contents and goals
With the project team Pioneer City Salzburg, new and relevant key roles in the administration will be filled. In the first year of the project, this team will develop an initial master plan for climate neutrality for the city of Salzburg with support from the responsible municipal departments. This master plan includes a CO2 balance for the city of Salzburg and a reduction path to achieve net zero by the year 2040. An action plan for the affected sectors will be developed to facilitate structured implementation. The master plan will be approved by the municipal council and will be subject to ongoing monitoring to allow for adaptation to new eventualities every year.
For achieving this goal, an innovation-oriented administration is required. Therefore, a process analysis of the city's internal processes will be initiated by the project team. The climate-relevant processes will be identified and adjustment proposals will be developed in cooperation with the administrative departments. Together with internal awareness raising, these relevant processes will be gradually adapted. Climate neutrality is an interdisciplinary matter and, therefore, agile and cross-departmental work within the magistrate will be more important in the future.
Methods / implementation
Based on two pilot quarters, the urban development and decision-making processes will be analyzed. The city of Salzburg already has experience with the construction of a climate-neutral quarter, which will be integrated into the processes mentioned above. Goals will be compiled together and the necessary resolutions will be obtained. Consequently, structures and plans for creating climateneutral quarters in the long term will be developed.
Important parts of the project are the exchange with other pioneer cities and learning from each other. With the help of learning environments, transferable and easily replicable building blocks will be developed, which can be used in different cities or quarters.
Expected results
The Pioneering City Salzburg project is drawing up a climate neutrality master plan for the city
of Salzburg, which will be adopted by the municipal council.
The first pilot implementations in the pilot neighborhoods, which will also impact the entire city area, will be the establishment of mobility points within the neighborhoods, including the roll-out of a bike-sharing system in the city of Salzburg.
The commitment of property developers to the klimaaktiv standards and the promotion of thermal renovations are also the first steps to be taken within the city.
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time. It affects us all - ecologically, socially and economically. The City of Salzburg is facing up to this challenge with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040. We are reshaping the future of our city: with sustainable mobility, innovative energy solutions and resilient infrastructures. Climate protection is not an option, but a necessity in order to safeguard the quality of life for future generations. It is our responsibility to act decisively and courageously now and create the conditions for a good future worth living in Salzburg.
Project Partners
Project management
STADT:SALZBURG, Abteilung Raumplanung und Baubehörde
Contact Address
STADT:SALZBURG, Raumplanung und Baubehörde
Pia Schauz
Auerspergstraße 7, 5020 Salzburg
Phone: +43 662 8072-0
E-Mail: info.pionierstadt@stadt-salzburg.at
Web: www.stadt-salzburg.at