Coordinating climate transition, climate adaptation, security, and emergency preparedness is not just beneficial—it is an absolute necessity. By integrating these areas, cities can reduce their overall risk exposure, protect critical infrastructure, and generate significant cost savings. In conjunction with National Emergency Preparedness Week, Viable Cities is now publishing an overview of the topic.
Outlook 2026:1 presents EnergyNet as a potential foundation for a new energy system. The core concept is simple: electricity can become greener, more reliable, and cheaper when local production, storage, demand flexibility, and digital coordination are designed as a system rather than as isolated assets.
After nine years as a strategic innovation program, Viable Cities has been evaluated to assess its results and impact. These findings provide a basis for decisions regarding continued funding and contribute to the development of both the program and its format.
This concept note by Viable Cities, CCFLA and GTI introduces intra-city aggregated procurement as a systemic, innovative approach for cities to shape markets for climate-neutral and resilience-enhancing materials, technologies and infrastructure.
Viable Cities Insight 2025:4 provides an insight into how cities in the Climate City Contract 2030 describe their approach to climate investment and financing the transition.
Viable Cities Insight 2025:3 provides a brief analysis of how the cities in the Climate City Contract 2030 describe how they follow up on the local climate transition work.
Viable Cities Insight 2025:2 provides a brief analysis of how 2030 cities organize climate transition work locally, both within the municipal organization and together with the actors in the transition arena.
Viable Cities Insight 2025:1 provides a brief analysis of climate-smart transport and mobility interventions outlined in the Climate City Contract 2030 signed in December 2024. This is the first insight in a series.
Vinnova's reportClimate City Contract - a governance innovation for the EU Cities Mission" analyzes how the climate contract works as a tool, and tells about Swedish cities' successes, and about obstacles and challenges.
Insights from the first national platforms for climate-neutral cities in Europe, among them Viable Cities, are presented in this NetZeroCities report.
In Spain, the Region of Valencia and the City of Valencia are joining forces in the climate transition, both locally and at EU level. Find out how it works in the report The region as a signatory of the Climate City Contract.
Blekinge Region sees EU missions as an effective method to address various regional societal challenges. In a report from NetZeroCities you can read more about this.
A study that has taken a closer look at how collaboration between municipalities and business in the climate transition is expressed in 2030 cities.
Viable Cities Report 2025:2
A study by Viable Cities exploring the role and opportunities of businesses linked to the local Climate City Contract that exist in many of the cities in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative.
Experiences and lessons learned from policy development on land use, mobility, energy planning and other key areas.
Viable Cities Report 2025:5
The Nordic countries are considered global pioneers in creating sustainable societies. Although we are doing many things right, there is a lot of work ahead if we are to achieve our vision of being the most integrated and sustainable region in the world by 2030. The Sustainable Living Hub brings together tools and guidelines for key sectors that enable sustainable lifestyle choices.
Eighteen companies in Landskrona have partnered with the City of Landskrona and signed joint energy and climate agreements to reduce their local impact on the climate.
climate transition affects us all and change is inevitable. Cities are leaders in the transformation of the way we work and live. By joining the European Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, you are embarking on an ambitious journey to become the first 100 cities to reach climate-neutrality by 2030. Only a new type of collective effort will be up to the task: a transformative approach accelerating decarbonisation. This transformative approach, which NetZeroCities champions, is embodied and described by the Climate Transition Map.
Many cities across Europe and elsewhere are exploring new ways of bringing together diverse actors and stakeholders, and enabling collective action across all sectors of society. In this document, NetZeroCities outline one crucial part of doing this, namely setting up a Transition Team, which brings together the municipality and the ecosystem of multiple actors across society. There is no single blueprint for achieving this; each city will need to work in ways that best accelerate progress in its specific context. However, there are some insights and lessons learnt that can be shared and built upon, and this document makes a series of suggestions.
During this breakfast, we will discuss just transition. How do we create an economy that is as fair and inclusive as possible, that creates decent job opportunities and leaves no one behind?
Almost every city in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative has a higher education institution. How can they contribute to the climate transition, beyond research and education? During Climate Breakfast 33, we explore how higher education institutions can accelerate their contribution to the climate transition by collaborating in new ways.
The climate contract is for all companies in Kalmar that want to work together with the municipality for a sustainable and climate-smart society. Signing the contract means that your company supports the intention of the agreement and makes commitments that suit its own business, are feasible and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Collaboration with business and civil society is one of Växjö municipality's strategies for accelerating the transition to a sustainable municipality. Several companies have therefore signed the Växjö Declaration to drive the work forward in their respective industries.
At Klimatarena Stockholm, companies, public actors and academia collaborate for a climate-driven business development in Stockholm County.
To achieve the climate transition, the business community and the public sector need to work together. With the Linköping Initiative as the unifying force, we learn and are inspired by each other - and in the next step we can inspire even more people.
As a representative of a company, an organization or an association, you can fill out a climate commitment, which shows that your business will contribute to achieving the goal of a climate-positive Eskilstuna in 2045. Together we can make a climate revolution*!
There is great interest and a desire to be part of Malmö's climate transition and many companies have the climate issue high on their agenda. Signing Climate City Contract Malmö means that we are joining forces and making efforts for a climate-neutral Malmö in 2030.
Companies and organizations in Kristianstad can contribute to reduced climate impact through local Climate City Contract. Together we create an arena to accelerate the transition locally.
We face a major challenge together, to reduce our emissions to create a better climate and a better environment for all of us. In Karlstad Municipality, we do it together, with all the ability and power to contribute, so that every step counts. Both individually and together.
Do you as a company or association want to make a contribution to the climate in Helsingborg? The goal is to make commitments that suit your business, are feasible and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A signature shows that your company wants to be an active part of the City of Helsingborg's climate work.
Gävle Climate Agreement is a collection of forces where local companies, associations, universities and public organizations collaborate in climate-driven business and business development.
Climate-neutral Borlänge 2030 brings together the actors who want to drive the transition and work actively to achieve a sustainable and climate-neutral Borlänge. Together we can find new smart ways to reach the goal.
Several local actors with over 30,000 employees work together for climate-driven business and operational development creates power. The approach has been inspired by the UN Climate Convention and contributes to Uppsala's climate transition.
Science Park Borås is a partner in Climate Neutral Borås and contributes by formulating and implementing joint commitments with the aim of giving a boost to the joint work on sustainable community development, which is more than technical innovation.
The Helsingborg Declaration is an initiative whereby the city, together with actors from the entire logistics chain, aims to make the Helsingborg region Europe's most fast-moving and sustainable logistics hub.
In Örebro County, an energy and climate council has been set up to speed up the climate transition. The council includes business, municipalities, universities and industry organizations. The council is led jointly by the Örebro County Administrative Board and Region Örebro County.
The Climate Alliance in Lund currently consists of around 25 members from various industries. Many have already identified the climate and energy issue and are actively working to reduce their negative climate impact. The mix of companies and close cooperation with Lund University and the municipality make the network a breeding ground for innovations and new collaborations.
At business and growth in Linköping, a special position has been created: Business developer, sustainable growth. The work is based, among other things, on the Business Program, where one of the focus areas is Sustainable and resource efficient, with a strong focus on circular economy and transition.
At business and growth in Linköping, a special position has been created: Business developer, sustainable growth. The work is based, among other things, on the Business Program, where one of the focus areas is Sustainable and resource efficient, with a strong focus on circular economy and transition.
In the City of Gothenburg's strategic business program 2023-2035, climate challenges and circular business models are clearly stated as part of the strategic work.
In Umeå, the business community and the municipality have long worked together to reduce climate emissions and achieve climate goals. It started with a cooperation on food and agriculture issues, and since 2021, 56 companies from all possible sectors are involved in the Umeå Climate Roadmap.
Viable Cities Report 2023:01 This report has been commissioned by Vinnova within the framework of the Viable Cities
program. The report, firstly, aims to provide a policy-relevant overview of two new elements for sustainable urban
development: new forms of governance for leading, managing and executing urban
planning projects, and new forms for supporting innovations in the form of systemsaltering missions rather than a variety of small projects. Secondly, it also aims to help evolve these experiences and lessons learned, with an
emphasis on new forms of governance for climate transition in cities and municipalities.
Viable Cities Report 2023:01 The Climate Transition of Cities report explores the emerging model to lead, govern and implement the transition more quickly, known collectively as governance.
Successful sustainable solutions from pilot projects need to fly further - so that sustainability becomes the standard throughout cities and municipalities. The Sustainability Becomes Standard project has developed a tool to ensure this happens.
The transition to become climate neutral 2030 requires that cities work in new ways. In this climate breakfast we explore how the cities of Valencia and Stockholm have handled this challenge in terms of leadership, organization and capacity building.
A regional Climate City Contract - what is it? In 2022, Viable Cities explored this together with the county administrative boards and regions in Västerbotten and Norrbotten.
During Transition Lab Forum 8, we shared experiences from Skellefteå as part of the transition in northern Sweden, and we explored some key issues in the transition process and Climate City Contract 2030 - multi-level governance, sustainable construction, business strategies for sustainability and citizen engagement. The power of the transition in the north is a golden opportunity to use to accelerate the climate transition throughout Sweden and the world.
This breakfast is hosted by our program manager Olga Kordas, who develops the thoughts about Climate City Contract 2030's innermost essence, and by Henrik Johansson from Växjö municipality and Charlotte Brynielsson from Kalmar municipality. Both municipalities are part of the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative and will talk about the value of Climate City Contract, the iterative process, what they have achieved and their plans for the future. Welcome to the Viable Cities Climate Breakfast 2022!
To find solutions to the enormous societal challenges posed by global warming, we need to work in new ways, within municipal operations but also across private and public organisations. Climate Breakfast 17 was attended by Anna Fjällström from Accelera, Jenny Ångman, Järfälla Municipality, and Sophia Sundberg, Barkarby Science.
Last spring, Anthesis was commissioned by Viable Cities to develop a strategy for engaging citizens and civil society as co-creators of the city's future. Through workshops and interviews, Anthesis, together with its partners Actinate and Sustainable 3.0, has collected information that is analyzed and now results in recommendations on a possible way forward.
Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with the mission of achieving climate-neutral cities by 2030, ensuring a good quality of life for all within the planet’s limits. The program is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas and coordinated by KTH.
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