WP 4 - Demonstration Lighthouse City Leipzig

What can be understood by climate-friendly neighbourhood development and how can neighbourhoods in Leipzig be developed in a climate-friendly way as standard?

In line with the German Climate Protection Act, Leipzig is striving to become climate-neutral by 2040. The Energy and Climate Protection Programme (EKSP Leipzig 2030) adopted by the City Council in 2022 with its implementation plans is the City of Leipzig’s guiding programme for action. The fifth defined success factor is “climate-friendly neighbourhood development”. This report presents the tools developed for this purpose as part of the SPARCS project funded by the EU under the Horizon 2020 programme.

Initially, needs were identified in workshops with offices involved in energy neighbourhood concepts. Three questions proved to be central: What goal is meant when we talk about climate-friendly neighbourhood development? How can the process be accelerated? And can the availability of data be improved? This report presents the tools that have been developed to answer the first two questions.

The key finding is that clarity about objectives, available resources and responsibilities are highly relevant for climate-friendly neighbourhood development. In this report, climate-friendly neighbourhood development is understood to mean compliance with the Paris Agreement, taking into account socially equitable implementation in the neighbourhoods.

To this end, fields of action are identified that are considered necessary for complete decarbonisation. It also differentiates between three levels of climate-friendly development of existing neighbourhoods, which can serve as a guide for cities on the way there. The report also contains suggestions for process improvements, various funding resources and methods and shows the scope for action for local authorities.