Background/Motivation

Historically evolved town centres in small and medium-sized cities face complex challenges in achieving climate neutrality targets. In contrast to large cities, there is often a lack of proven planning approaches that address the specific conditions of smaller urban structures, such as limited space availability, heritage and townscape protection regulations, and fragmented ownership structures.

Contents and goals

The exploratory project ReNew Lindenplatz addresses this gap using the historic town centre area around Lindenplatz and Hauptplatz in Kapfenberg as a case study – a small Austrian pioneer city on its path towards climate neutrality.

The objective of the project is to develop a systematic and transferable planning approach for climate-neutral and climate-resilient historic urban quarters. The project focuses on four key transformation conflict fields:

1. the energy–heritage protection dilemma in integrating renewable energy systems into historically sensitive urban structures,
2. the mobility–space conflict caused by competing demands for public space,
3. the vacancy–vitality paradox related to activating vacant ground-floor zones, and
4. the development of climate-resilient public squares with coherent urban design.

Methodical Approach

Methodologically, the project combines interdisciplinary baseline analyses, participatory stakeholder engagement processes, scenario-based development of transformation pathways, and multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM).

The main outcome will be an integrated transformation concept for the quarter, including a sector-coupled renewable energy system, climate-resilient public space design, sustainable mobility solutions, and utilisation concepts for reactivating vacant ground-floor areas.

Expected Results

The result will be a consensus-based preferred development scenario that forms the basis for a subsequent demonstration project. At the same time, the project will generate transferable planning tools and conflict-resolution strategies that can serve as a scalable model for climate-neutral historic urban development in other small Austrian pioneer cities.

Project management

4ward Energy Research GmbH

Project or cooperation partners

• Municipality of Kapfenberg
• formart ST ZT GmbH

4ward Energy Research GmbH
Reininghausstraße 13a
A-8020 Graz
Tel.: +43 (664) 8822 6556
E-mail: Martina.heidenhofer@4wardenergy.at
Web: www.4wardenergy.at