REFUGIUM – Innovative Use of Church Infrastructure for Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Neighborhood Development

REFUGIUM is developing a new collaborative approach (public-private partnership) between the City of Klagenfurt and the Catholic Church. In four pilot neighborhoods, innovative climate protection measures will be jointly identified and examined. This exploratory phase serves as the basis for planned demonstration projects and thus represents an important contribution to the Smart City climate strategy and to the EU Cities Mission "100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030".

Short Description

Background

Klagenfurt is the only Austrian city in the EU Cities Mission and, since 2023, one of ten pioneer cities participating in a partnership between the ÖÖK and the BMIMI. Due to the advancing effects of climate change, measures to reduce emissions must increasingly be linked with climate change adaptation measures and social considerations. Only through their innovative integration can sustainable, socially and environmentally responsible development be ensured for current and future citizens.

Climate goals can only be achieved if external stakeholders are increasingly and actively integrated into the city's climate roadmap through cooperation.

In four neighborhoods — comprising residential, educational, religious, social, and special-use areas — the following four core elements are being examined:

Sustainable mobility: Promoting active mobility and public transportation through micro-mobility hubs
Sustainable energy: Establishing energy communities with religious organizations and expanding them to neighboring residential areas
Ecological sustainability: Soil unsealing, green roofs, shading – for biodiversity & heat protection
Social resilience: Expansion of cultural & pastoral offerings through AI-based, low-threshold digital tools

Objectives - Developing a framework for

Creating a win-win situation between the city and the church
Contributing to the achievement of Klagenfurt's smart city climate goals
Revitalizing underutilized church infrastructure and opening it up to the entire community
Ensuring socially and environmentally sustainable development for current and future residents

Methodology

REFUGIUM takes a holistic approach that involves partners from the social, technological, administrative, planning, and environmental sectors. The triple bottom line approach (environmental, social and economic) guides the development of measures. A scientific partner conducts a status quo analysis; a social organization ensures that all population groups and gender-specific issues are adequately addressed.

Expected Results

Climate protection measures identified and analyzed for four pilot neighborhoods
A transferable cooperation framework (PPP model) with significant potential for scaling up to other churches in Klagenfurt and other cities
An upgraded, more attractive, and climate-resilient church infrastructure serving as an open community space
A foundation for the joint implementation of the measures following the exploratory phase

Project Partners

Project management

IPAK - International Project Management Agency Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee GmbH

Project or cooperation partners

Caritas Carinthia
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
PLANUM Fallast & Partner GmbH
Refugium - Association for the Promotion of Climate Protection and Climate Change Adaptation in the Church Context

Contact Address

Dr. Georg M. Eichler
Bahnhofstr. 19
A-9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee
Tel.: +43 (463) 537-4928
E-Mail: georg.eichler@klagenfurt.at
Web: https://www.smartclimatelab.at/