The BMBF's "Energy Efficient City" competition aims to develop implementation strategies for realising the German government's climate protection goals in urban systems. Cities and municipalities set the boundary conditions in this area. Findings from the past show that the defined goals will not fail to be achieved due to a lack of technology or for reasons of economic efficiency. Rather, knowledge is needed on how appropriate measures, anchored in a holistic strategy, can contribute to the implementation of climate protection goals.

A new climate culture is to be established in the city of Essen that motivates all Essen stakeholders to act in a climate-friendly manner. Acting in a new climate culture presupposes:

• Climate-conscious behaviour in the building, energy and mobility sectors. 
• Communication and promotion of consumer responsibility
• Municipal energy efficiency controlling

New innovative and service-oriented concepts for an energy-efficient city of Essen are developed, implemented and disseminated.

The project was implemented in four fields of action: urban development, renewable energies, mobility and buildings. This supported the urban society's goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 40% compared to the year 1990. To this end, a regional climate culture characteristic of the Ruhr region was promoted in the city of Essen, which ensures the effective implementation of climate protection measures through the active participation of citizens, institutions, companies, local government and local politics.

Systematic networking identified actors already contributing to climate protection and made it possible to launch new services and offers for a sustainable, energy-efficient city. These elements of the project promoted "acting in a new climate culture" and strengthened the intelligent interaction of incentives, lifestyles, infrastructures and framework rules in the fields of action and urban society. Communicative measures, such as campaigns, significantly supported this process.

Here you can find the publication resulting from the project.