Tag: Stadtbegrünung

  • Energy City Gold for Zurich

    Energy City Gold for Zurich

    The city of Zurich has been awarded the Energy City Gold label for the sixth time in 2024, the city administration announced in a press release. Every four years, the Energy City Association awards the label to cities and municipalities that are committed to ambitious energy and climate protection goals. In the current evaluation, the city of Zurich achieved its best result to date.

    Across Switzerland, 109 cities and municipalities have been awarded the Energy City Gold label. “As the largest city in Switzerland, the city of Zurich serves as a role model for other energy cities that also want to consistently achieve their ambitious energy and climate policy goals,” Katrin Bernath, President of the Energy City Association, is quoted in the press release from her speech at the award ceremony. The award was accepted by City Councillor Michael Baumer. “The top score for the city of Zurich shows that we are on the right path to net zero,” said the head of the City of Zurich’s industrial operations.

    In the current re-audit, the City of Zurich’s energy and climate targets also included the area of climate adaptation for the first time. Zurich scored highly here with its specialised planning for heat reduction and urban trees. The city has also launched a programme for urban greening. This programme supports and financially promotes the ecologically valuable upgrading of outdoor spaces, green roofs and vertical greening by providing advice.

  • Basel-Stadt wants to expand district heating and greening

    Basel-Stadt wants to expand district heating and greening

    The government council of the canton of Basel-Stadt has developed a comprehensive concept for the expansion of the district heating network and submitted it as a proposal. According to a press release, roads, pipelines and streetcar tracks are to be extensively renovated as part of this plan. At the same time, many inner-city public areas are to be unsealed.

    This extensive redesign also offers a unique opportunity to green large areas, according to the press release. In order to implement the plans, the canton is examining the possibility of planting new trees for each upcoming redevelopment in accordance with the urban climate concept. In addition to the planting to be carried out now, the project provides for district heating and other pipes to be laid during the renovations in such a way that greenery can still be planted later. Planning and implementation must also ensure that the flow of traffic in the city is optimized and that any access by security forces such as the fire department or emergency medical services is guaranteed.

    For the implementation of the overall project, the Government Council has requested a budget of CHF 4.1 million per year over 13 years, i.e. a total of CHF 51 million, from the Grand Council.