Sustainable urban development: Graz discusses decarbonization and opportunities

Von WOM

On September 26, 2024, numerous experts and interested parties gathered in the Congress Graz for the 80th anniversary conference of the German-Austrian Urban network. Under the guiding principle "Decarbonization and climate change adjustment in the built city", the participants discussed the challenges and possibilities of environmentally friendly urban development.

The event was opened by Karsten Gerkens , the head of the network. In addition, the Graz municipal councilor Alexandra Würz-Talder encouraged those present with her words. In his lecture, the city building director Bertram Werle illuminated the specific challenges that Graz has with regard to compression and climate protection. He outlined the 2040 climate protection plan, which shows how the city wants to deal with the rising population and how the participation of business, science and citizens can be encouraged.

insights from experts

Another highlight was the presentation of Andreas Kleboth , an architect. In addition, Eva Nussmüller from the European Commission described how European funding is available to support decarbonization in cities. She emphasized that sustainable and including solutions are of great relevance.

Following the lectures, a lively discussion took place in which local experiences in the field of sustainable urban development were presented. Markus Löffler from Plauen and Stephan Hartmann from Vienna shared success stories from their cities and illustrated the role of housing cooperatives and private builders in reducing the CO2 emissions of urban housing. Patrick Fenegger from the Salzburg Institute for Spatial Planning and Living as well as Armin Mayr from Regensburg discussed innovative financing models to support these goals.

financing and practical solutions

A central point of the conference was the panel discussion to finance sustainable measures. Here Daniela Bachner from European Investment Bank, Hans Schaffer from the ÖWG residential building and Christian Nußmüller from the city of Graz came together to discuss innovative approaches to support the decarbonization. The discussion showed how a cooperative action by different actors can lead to more effective solutions.

The crowning conclusion of the conference formed an excursion to the Tagger site in Graz, where the participants were able to inspect the innovative revitalization of a former industrial area. These "study trip" offered visitors practical insight into projects that have already been implemented and demonstrated how sustainable urban development measures can be realized.

The lively atmosphere and the exchange of ideas gave the participants of the conference hope that Graz is on the right track and that the discussions at this event can be continued in the future. For more information on the topics of the conference, See the report on www.5min.at .