We want to move from an energy system that relies heavily on fossil fuels and increasingly on bioenergy and waste; to one that is entirely built around waste heat from electrified processes, heat pumps and "smart Al powered efficiency". We can save 1.4 million tons of CO2, while driving innovation, economic growth and democratic engagement at the community level.
Sharing Cities Sweden is a national program for the sharing economy in cities. The program aims to put Sweden on the map as a country that actively and critically works with the sharing economy in cities. Sharing economy test beds in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå will develop sharing services and digital solutions/platforms. The test beds are complemented by a national node for coordination, national learning and international exchange.
An important purpose of developing climate investment plans is to look at the total investment needs to achieve climate targets in order to understand the capital requirements of the transition. This feasibility study will further develop the work by exploring future investments that are not initiated to reduce carbon emissions. These investments can account for a large share of future emissions, e.g. in infrastructure and buildings.
City as a Platform is an innovation initiative that brings together 18 municipalities to explore, test, implement and collaborate on common IoT platforms to support societal benefits in cities. The initiative will also ensure national anchoring and propose a national management model of a minimum framework for data platforms, including relevant standards.
In Gothenburg, there is a strong focus on developing the city's ability to create and utilize citizen engagement in the environmental and climate transition, and in the spring of 2024, the city conducted a citizens' council, where 30 people were asked to contribute thoughts and suggestions on how the city can engage and involve residents in the climate transition. Gothenburg is also working with a broad toolbox to achieve a more sustainable and efficient mobility system that will benefit citizens, including efforts for walking and cycling, trams, electrified buses, micromobility and trains. Mobility is a major issue for the city, but it is also working on climate-neutral construction, circular economy, farming, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, and much more.
The initiative will develop methods and models for how public events can accelerate the climate transition in cities. The project brings together Sweden's largest live music festivals, Swedish sports and destinations for joint action with researchers. Since time immemorial, events have brought people together and sparked popular engagement. Producing and staging events requires energy, materials, water, food, waste management, areas that, like the travel and transportation of audiences and performers, have a significant climate impact. The number of events is increasing, while interest in events as a force for change for greater sustainability is growing. Important dimensions are changing behaviors and attitudes towards consumption and citizen engagement.
Building materials are a major source of climate emissions in our cities. The initiative focuses on new ways to reduce the extraction of new materials and to use materials already present in the urban environment, including through reuse from demolition and redevelopment projects.
The initiative will explore ways to encourage more people to consume food in more environmentally and climate-smart ways. The goal is to understand how environmental information about different foods, together with smart approaches (nudging), can change consumer buying behavior.
The initiative will shorten the links between research and practice in working with three-dimensional (3D) building layout to accommodate multiple owners and many functions in the same building. This creates both opportunities and challenges for energy optimization (e). The initiative focuses on bringing together researchers with specifiers and implementers in three urban development projects.
