Sustainable cities and municipalities

Urban life is undergoing radical change. The more the effects of climate change are felt in inhabited areas, the more critically we must ask how we can prepare our cities. Because as things stand today, they are only inadequately prepared. And rural communities face similar challenges. Heavy rains and heat stress collide with sealing and groundwater scarcity.

What can we do? From urban greening, ecological construction methods and alternative drives for municipal vehicles to intelligent water and waste management: IFAT highlights a wide range of measures that make cities and municipalities more sustainable—and more future-proof.

More important than ever: climate resilience

On the one hand, heavy rainfall events, on the other hand, water shortages in summer. The 2021 coalition agreement includes concrete approaches to address this issue, including support for municipal investments in climate resilience, especially climate-proof water infrastructure that can withstand extreme precipitation and low water levels. In addition, unsealing projects will strengthen rainwater infiltration and minimize risk of flooding.

From concrete wasteland to Sponge City

Green spaces not only provide recreation and relaxation: urban vegetation helps to reduce summer heat stress and clean the air of pollutants.

With proper planning, they can even provide protection against flooding. Sponge Cities aim to store as much water as possible instead of discharging it into the sewage system. For example by:

• Tree trenches: an underground system of drainage, storage and infiltration elements around the tree roots
• Roof and facade greening: to absorb and store rainwater
• Wetlands: to protect against flooding and cool the urban climate through continuous evaporation

Building for the future

Building: yes, but properly. What can cities and municipalities do to act as sustainably as possible here as well? Because the construction sector currently accounts for more than half of the waste generated in Germany. It is therefore even more important to use resources more sparingly, to recycle and to use secondary building materials. Cutting-edge design and manufacturing techniques also contribute to greener construction by enabling resource-conserving—and if necessary selective—deconstruction. In this regard, too, IFAT provides important input.