In today's cities, we travel in a way that is unsustainable, generating high emissions and using far more resources than the planet can sustain, while creating unequal conditions for citizens. To transform mobility and places for a climate-neutral future, we need radical implementation of existing and new solutions that can be scaled up and create the new normal. During Transition Lab Forum 16 in Gothenburg, we will delve into the future of places and mobility as a key issue in the transition to Climate Neutral Cities 2030.
In Gothenburg, the municipality works with local property owners through mobility agreements. The agreements allow owners to build fewer parking spaces if they offer residents other ways to travel, such as access to carpools, public transport passes and cargo bikes.
Business Region Göteborg, the City of Gothenburg and Nordstan Business Center have jointly developed Sweden's first mobility hotel, where six different actors collaborate to increase the share of green and emission-free transport in the inner city.
In Gothenburg, the Framtiden Group has developed a mobility strategy that aims to make it easier for its tenants not to travel by (own) car - both by offering sustainable alternatives and through the availability and pricing of parking.
The energy system needs to be transformed to phase out fossil fuels and achieve climate neutrality. To create a resilient, secure and just energy transition, new forms of energy production are needed that combine large-scale, centralized production with small-scale, decentralized production in new ways. This systemic shift presents challenges and opportunities. As we focus on putting new technological systems in place and making energy use more efficient, we also need to consider how it affects people's economic and social situations and living environments. During this Transition Lab Forum, we will explore how the municipality, together with other stakeholders, can ensure a fair and sustainable energy transition.
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.
Gothenburg is actively working on skills supply linked to climate change, including in the battery and automotive industries. Together with regional actors, they have also created the MoveToGothenburg platform to attract labor.
The City of Gothenburg has a digital twin, Virtual Gothenburg. A digital city makes it easier to visualize and simulate various urban development projects. The work is led by the City Planning Office but involves all administrations working with urban planning.
Gothenburg's digital twin has been used to test how to storm-proof the city. The goal is to develop an interactive tool to ensure that cloudburst requirements are followed in urban planning processes where different actors will be able to crash test measures to make good and sustainable decisions to prepare the city for cloudbursts.
The Gothenburg platform for climate-neutral construction gathers the entire value chain around ten concrete commitments, which are based on the five key factors in the roadmap for a fossil-free building and construction sector.
In Gothenburg, all the city's construction departments and companies have joined forces to develop common procurement requirements to accelerate the construction sector's transition to zero-emission construction sites.
How to create conditions for sustainable and attractive transport in the city? And how can the city develop when exhaust gases and noise disappear? In Gothenburg, 15 stakeholders from industry, research and society are working together to develop, test and demonstrate new solutions for the future. The collaboration is called ElectriCity.
Gothenburg Climate Partnership (GCP) is a long-term and active collaboration between the business community in the Gothenburg region and the City of Gothenburg to reduce climate impact. One of the initiatives focuses on transportation and micromobility.
Gothenburg Green City Zone is a zone in Gothenburg where the transportation system of the future is developed and tested. The goal is a completely new emission-free transportation system in terms of new technology in both vehicles and infrastructure.
Gothenburg works to create climate-smart events and is at the forefront of sustainable destinations according to the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. When Coldplay played at Ullevi in June 2023, they took the opportunity to test new technology to map transport and car travelers from the south were offered free public transport for the last stretch.
Sustainability becomes standard works to ensure that smart, innovative and sustainable solutions from successful pilot projects become standard throughout the city. This is done by developing an analysis method to scale up and standardize sustainable innovative solutions for buildings, transport and the outdoor environment, and developing guidelines for collaboration to effectively involve the right actors and solutions in the process of developing the city, both in new and existing areas.
Competitive companies in climate-neutral cities - how do we create good conditions for this? During this Climate Breakfast, we explore the collaboration between municipalities andbusiness and how synergies can be created.
During Transition Lab Forum 13 in Kristianstad, we will delve into how climate adaptation and climate change can be integrated into the development of a sustainable food system, which is more resilient, with increased competitiveness and which contributes to a good life for everyone within the planetary boundaries. What is being done today, and how can we further accelerate the transition to climate-neutral cities while adapting society to a changing climate and creating competitiveness and a good life for all?
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.
Events are a billion-dollar industry and a key component of the economy and profile of many cities. At the same time, they are an increasingly important tool for community development. How is the industry adapting? How can this transformation drive behavioral change and citizen engagement?
Carl Mossfeldt leads a discussion with four politicians from the City of Gothenburg: Blerta Hoti, Municipal Councillor (S), Grith Fjeldmose, Municipal Councillor (V), Karin Pleijel, Municipal Councillor (MP) and Emmyly Bönfors Jansson (C). Viable Cities Allan Larsson and Gunnar Björkman, City of Stockholm, reflect on the way forward and Program Manager Olga Kordas concludes the conference.
How can we accelerate the transition to climate-neutral and inclusive cities by 2030 with digital tools as enablers? We will get examples of digital tools used, but also what they were used for and why. We will focus on visual modeling for analysis and decision-making and on how citizens can be involved in urban development using Minecraft.
Climate Breakfast 4 was arranged in collaboration with our sister program Drive Sweden and focused on different pieces of the puzzle that are necessary in the transition towards a transport system that is sustainable, safe and accessible to all. Inspirers are Peter Hafmar, Autonomous drive strategist, NEVS and Suzanne Andersson, development strategist Trafikkontoret Göteborgs stad.
To increase our resilience, we need to make the choices more concrete and understandable to more people. This is where digital tools, such as digital twins, can be a valuable help. Simply put, a digital twin is a digital copy of a city that makes it possible to test and experiment with possible ways of developing the city "on the drawing board". Not to mention creating experiences, evoking emotions and engagement that can contribute to new behaviors.
Forum 3 is about how sustainable communities can be shaped by everyone together, from a concrete, practical perspective with inspiration and good examples, both to engage citizens and to shape local Climate City Contract. Day 2 will focus on financing the climate transition and how to engage citizens in it.
