Work is in progress, in Dresden, to become climate neutral in the next few years. The German city, after being selected as one of the 100 European Cities to address this challenge by 2030, chose the Johannstadt neighborhood as its pilot area.
17th November 2022 - The city of Dresden – the second most populated city in Germany – has an important historical significance in the country. It has now set its sights on becoming one of the first 100 European cities to go climate neutral by 2030.
As the district was totally reconstructed after World War II, its urban development is a "real-life lab" for testing solutions that can be easily replicated in other European cities. That’s part of the initiatives carried out by the Economic Development Office of the city, supported by the European project MAtchUP.
“We've built from scratch a ‘District Future House’, and we've also implemented projects in the unrenovated area of the so-called “Plattenbauen”, the typical East German prefabricated buildings”, says Robert Franke, Head of Economic Development Office in the City of Dresden. “We've set up new mobility points, built charging infrastructure and, very recently, implemented an energy efficiency programme in our primary school in Johannstadt”, he continues.
The school has been equipped with a “heat transfer station” to optimize its energy consumption, while sensors monitoring temperature, humidity, and CO2 have been installed in the classrooms. Moreover, an energy team involving pupils and teachers has been set up to foster more sustainable practices.
“We measured the energy savings via heat meters and found that at peak times, in very good years, we can save up to 42% of energy. In other years, the figure is around 30%. So we assume that, on average, over several years we can save up to a third of the energy”, says Jessica Hebing, Energy Management Building Control Center of the City of Dresden.
Dresden is also very active when it comes to mobility: by the end of the year, the city will have 65 multimodal mobility points, called “Mobi Points”. The hubs connect public transport with bike-sharing, e-car sharing, and electric vehicle charging stations – all ecological means of transport. The points include fast-charging stations that can serve up to 6 e-vehicles at once without putting the local voltage at risk. This is made possible via a battery-storage system that makes up for its use.
By 2025, the city also plans to replace its 400-unit car fleet with nearly all-electric models. MAtchUP solutions will pave the way for Dresden to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.
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