How can laws and regulations better support the transition to climate-neutral cities? Within Viable Cities, municipalities and government agencies have identified some key areas to work on, including auctioning for energy efficiency, energy communities and waste heat recovery. The joint work is now presented in a report.
Under the Viable Cities Climate City Contract 2030, 48 cities, with the support of six government agencies, have committed to becoming climate neutral by working on clear action plans and concrete activities. One of the government agencies' commitments is to work with municipalities to develop rules and other instruments to promote the transition - so-called policy development.
A strong and rapid transformation of the social system requires action at the local level - and in many cases changes to regulations and policies. Designing policies that facilitate and drive the transition is crucial. That is why the authorities and municipalities that have signed Climate City Contract 2030 have together initiated so-called policy labs as a way of exploring and developing policies in areas where there is great potential for transition. Over the past two years, the policy labs have focused on areas such as energy, mobility and land use. These areas have been identified by municipalities as important for the transition. By testing and learning the approach in practice, municipalities, government agencies and other stakeholders have together explored common ways forward.
This report presents the insights gained from this work and is addressed to all municipalities engaged in driving the transition towards climate-neutral cities.
For those of you who work with land use: Formas' call for policy labs for sustainable land use to achieve climate goals is open until April 10.
