In Mariestad, the focus of the transition work is on creating long-term sustainable solutions for industry, transport, and community development. For more than ten years, the city has been working on green solutions, with the local business community playing an important role. Both existing companies and new establishments are actively contributing to the transition. The municipality plays a central role through physical planning and climate-smart solutions for housing and transport. Work is also currently underway to use digitalisation and data, such as IoT solutions, to make better decisions in climate work.
During the year, several concrete steps have been taken to establish a new normal with sustainable choices. The municipality has deepened its dialogue with the city's major employers to find smart solutions for sustainable travel to and from work. A mobility program for the city is in the works, and behavior-influencing initiatives, such as bicycle Saturdays and bicycle campaigns for schoolchildren, have been implemented to encourage more people to travel sustainably. Interest in green travel plans has been mapped out, and work on this will begin in 2026. At the same time, the municipality has begun testing IoT-based sensors to make better use of digital data. In 2025, new air quality meters were installed that measure around the clock at six locations in the urban area. The technology will be evaluated in 2026 to see how reliable it is and how it can be used in the future and linked to other data.
Another important step is the municipality's climate investment plan, which is a central part of the work towards climate neutrality by 2030. The plan has been developed together with the transition team, Linköping University, Sweco, and SEI – Stockholm Environment Institute, using digital analysis tools that show emissions and the effects of various measures. The results show that residents and industry account for the largest investments and benefit the most, while the municipality's own efforts are smaller but important in creating conditions for other actors.
Climate Neutral Mariestad 2030 has a mission to support the transition through concrete measures and cooperation. The municipality wants to create favorable conditions for residents and businesses to make climate investments while demonstrating that sustainability can strengthen local development, competitiveness, and quality of life.
In the city's latest update, they talk about the work, the transition arena, the project portfolio and much more.
Maria Gustavsson, process manager for Climate Neutral Mariestad 2030, maria.gustavsson@mariestad.se
Digital tools for urban development. Students from Vadsbo High School have tested a 3D prototype of central Mariestad. The prototype, which is also based on game psychology, facilitates exploration of the city, testing of ideas, and discussion of sustainable solutions. Researchers from game colleges and universities have participated in the project and contributed their expertise. The aim is to increase participation and improve dialogue with young people and other citizens.
Resident involvement. The municipality collaborates with associations and other actors to engage residents, for example through Bike Saturday, Preparedness Week, and the Culture and Harvest Festival. The aim is to increase citizens' understanding, participation, and responsibility in climate change.
In 2025, several activities within Climate Neutral Mariestad 2030 have been able to coordinate benefits for climate change, public health, and traffic safety, including the following.
Testing sustainable travel with folding bikes. In collaboration with Västtrafik, residents were given the opportunity to test folding bikes that can easily be taken on buses and trains free of charge for four weeks. Participants also received a Västtrafik card, which made it easier to replace car journeys with a combination of bicycle and public transport. The test showed how flexible travel options can lower the barriers to more sustainable travel.
The Bike Campaign for more children walking or cycling to school. The Bike Campaign engaged the municipality's middle schools in a competition with the goal of increasing the proportion of children walking or cycling to school. During the fall, more than 400 students participated, walking and cycling a total of nearly 1,500 miles, which is equivalent to the distance from Mariestad to Madrid and back twice. The competition is part of a joint effort by the municipality and NTF to identify measures needed to increase traffic safety, such as training in safe cycling, information for guardians, and investments in the bicycle network.
The benefits of trees in the city became a walking trail. To highlight the important role of trees in the city, the municipality created a walking trail featuring selected trees. Through signs and digital information, visitors can learn how much carbon dioxide each tree absorbs per year, how much oxygen it produces, and the total climate benefit the tree has contributed during its lifetime. The information is put into relation to the corresponding emissions from car or train travel, making the walk both a nature experience and an eye-opener to the city's green values.
Mariestad highlights two initiatives that they believe could be of particular interest to other municipalities to spy and apply. Contact the process leader to spy and apply.
Climate City Contract 2030 is a collective effort to achieve the climate transition that we need to implement in a short time to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. It is an agreement between municipalities, government agencies and Viable Cities where all parties undertake to make a concrete contribution to increasing the pace of climate change.
To achieve deep change, we need to move from fragmented projects to an ecosystem of efforts that all pull in the same direction. Cities are doing this together with Viable Cities, funders government agencies and other partners, in different constellations and with different objectives. It is about moving beyond dealing with symptoms and instead focusing on underlying problems in our social structure. Here you will find the initiatives and studies within the city that have been granted funding under Viable Cities.
Gävle is part of the NetZeroCities 112 Mission Cities, selected since 2022 to pioneer the EU Cities Mission.
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