Villach KlimaFit - Municipal Transformation Process to Achieve Climate Neutrality in Villach

The strategic framework for achieving climate neutrality has been decided in Villach and the city itself can already point to good results in its own sphere of action (buildings, photovoltaics). However, the lack of own energy and mobility operations, the type and scope of construction/investment projects (third-party projects) and the limited scope for action in strategic development topics (little land owned by the city of Villach) require the adaptation (transformation) of municipal instruments in order to implement climate neutrality holistically.

Short Description

Starting point / motivation

The city of Villach is an innovative industrial location with leading international companies, an important transport hub for the Alpe-Adria region, a research center in the field of microelectronics and, with a population of almost 63,000 people, the most important school, sports and cultural city in Upper Carinthia.

The mission statement of the municipal council of the city of Villach defines sustainability as a self-evident basis for decision-making. With regard to strategic foundations, it can be stated that these are available in Villach for sustainable urban development. The Villach Municipality also sets an example with the initiatives of the task forces for mobility and photovoltaics, as well as the goal of a climate-neutral Municipality by 2030.

The city of Villach differs structurally significantly from other large and medium-sized cities in Austria and thus encounters special challenges.

The Municipality of Villach does not have its own municipal utilities: apart from drinking water supply and wastewater disposal, municipal services such as electricity supply, district heating and mobility services are operated by third parties, i.e. in essential areas the City of Villach is confronted with external decision makers.
The majority of existing buildings and properties designated as building land are not owned by the Municipality of Villach. This applies in particular to residential construction. The city of Villach has not built any new residential buildings of its own since 1978.
In terms of area, Villach is second only to Vienna among the 10 largest cities in Austria (134 km²) - translated into density, this results in a very low value, which requires alternative solutions for the energy and mobility turnaround, especially in peripheral areas.

Contents and goals

The overall goal of the city of Villach in the context of the Pioneer City Partnership is: Evaluation and alignment of municipal instruments towards climate neutrality by 2030 across the entire magistrate.

Many of the instruments addressed control behavior or set framework conditions that affect decisions and investments (such as all sovereign instruments of sustainable urban development). On the one hand, the city of Villach fulfills the requirements of the "Mission Climate Neutral Cities" of the BMK by setting the necessary framework conditions and, on the other hand, the governance issues of the pioneer city are dealt with in an overall organizational manner ("anchor climate neutrality in urban governance, in all relevant decisions, strategies, processes, measures and structures and use the leverage of innovations).

Methods / implementation

As a central governance element, the city of Villach is implementing a KlimaFit process across the entire magistrate in order to develop municipal instruments towards climate neutrality. The Villacher KlimaFit GmbH serves as support for this process, which essentially supports the transformation process in order to.

Establish and continuously optimize sustainable structures, responsibilities, instruments and cooperations in the sense of an integrated climate neutrality management.
Develop and provide specific key processes (sustainable urban development, financing and funding).
Establish competences, resources and a transparent monitoring including data management for innovative climate neutrality measures in the Municipality of Villach.
Establishment of a cooperation/learning network to accelerate the municipal transformation process and to optimize the use of existing funding instruments.

The staff financed by ÖÖK will be employed by Klimafit GmbH.

Expected results

The intended results and findings within the scope of the pioneer city partnership are therefore:

presentation, evaluation and alignment of all municipal instruments and measures for the control and/or implementation of climate neutrality in Villach (increase of climate neutrality maturity level)
process acceleration by strengthening the competences of the departments in the municipal administration and at the same time relieving the departments by process and development support for the establishment of climate neutrality instruments
target-oriented, viable investment and project decisions based on uniform, transparent data bases and evaluation systems

The instruments are implemented on the basis of the demo area "Westbahnhof" in cooperation with ÖBB.

Project Partners

Project management

City of Villach, KlimaFit GmbH

Contact Address

City of Villach, KlimaFit GmbH
DI Gerald Aigner und MMag.a Ursula Lackner
Rathausplatz 1
A-9500 Villach
Tel.: +43 (4242) 205 4013
E-mail: gerald.aigner@villach.at, ursula.lackner@villach.at
Web: www.villach.at

Further projects with the participation of the City of Villach

QualitySysVillab - Protecting sustainable qualities in neighbourhood developments through process control and new digital methods

Development of a process concept to bring sustainable qualities in neighbourhood development from the intention and announcement level to the built reality. The process is supported by digital methods of energy and structural design and evaluated in the context of a case study.

Project duration: 2023 - 2026

Villab – Exploration of a Villach innovation laboratory for the cooperative development of sustainable neighbourhoods

The "Villab - Probe" project serves to check the feasibility of an urban innovation laboratory to accelerate the transformation of Villach districts towards climate neutrality. Assuming positive feasibility, the cooperation with relevant stakeholders will be deepened and a business plan drawn up for a future innovation laboratory.

Project duration: 2021 - 2022

vilFIT – Villach Fit 4 Urban Mission

In this project, measures, strategies and the necessary capacity building for achieving climate neutrality in the city of Villach will be advanced. The focus is on social and structural innovations (participation processes, development of pilot initiatives, public relations, etc.) as well as the definition of networks and structures or controlling and monitoring instruments.

Project duration: 2021 - 2022