As interactive world map the "New World Atlas of Artificial Sky Brighness" and thus the first worldwide measurement of light pollution since 2001 is now publicly accessible.
Further information: New atlas of light pollution: One third of humanity can no longer see the Milky Way | WIRED Germany
The Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction today announced the Federal Urban Greening Award 2022. This year, the focus is on the topic of "Climate adaptation and quality of life".
Federal Minister Klara Geywitz: "Climate change is a stress test for our cities. We need more trees for a better urban climate, we need soils that can absorb heavy rainfall, we need less sealed land also for more biodiversity and against the heating up of residential neighbourhoods. With the Federal Urban Greening Award 2022, we are honouring the pioneering work that is already shaping the necessary transformation of cities today."
The award recognises best practice examples that show how municipalities can use their urban green spaces to positively influence the urban climate and reduce the negative effects of extreme weather conditions. The award also recognises innovative concepts for climate-adapted and vital urban green spaces that have already been tried and tested. The award is looking for open spaces that can be used by the public and that also meet the other requirements for the use of open spaces in cities and municipalities, including as spaces for recreation and social cohesion and as elements of an attractive network of cycle paths and footpaths. Cities and municipalities in Germany can now apply with their projects. Planning offices, citizens, universities, research institutions, initiatives or associations can participate in cooperation with their municipalities.
Subject to the funds available in the 2022 federal budget, the federal prize is endowed with prize money totalling up to 100,000 euros. In addition to exemplary implemented projects, the courage to experiment with promising new approaches is also rewarded.
An independent jury will decide in June 2022 which projects will be awarded prizes and recognition. It is composed of experts from the fields of garden and landscape architecture, climate adaptation, urban development and urban planning, representatives of the municipal umbrella organisations and from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Berlin in September 2022.
The Federal Urban Greening Award is an important building block in the implementation of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs' White Paper on Urban Greening. It is supported by the German Association of Cities and Towns, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and the German Association of Districts. The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) implements the Federal Urban Greening Award and provides technical support.
Further information under www.bundespreis-stadtgruen.de
Keywords:
Greening / climate adaptation, DE-News, Communities, Near-natural open space design, Permaculture, Quarters, Settlements, City, Water design, Contests & Prizes, Wildlife/animal friendly construction
The Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management of Baden-Württemberg is again supporting investments in photovoltaic systems in combination with battery storage with a total of five million euros in the coming year.
It is thus responding to the enormous demand. Since the launch of the "Grid-serving photovoltaic battery storage" funding programme in March of this year, over 2,500 applications have been received. The programme is part of the state government's solar offensive. It ends on 31 December 2019.
"The expansion of battery storage systems has increased significantly. This benefits the climate and the economy in the state. It is important to me to maintain this momentum," said Environment and Energy Minister Franz Untersteller in Stuttgart today (14 December). The state is therefore happy to support investments in solar battery storage.
The Ministry of the Environment draws attention to the fact that the subsidy rates will decrease as planned on 1 January 2019. From the new year, there will be a subsidy of 200 euros (instead of the previous 300 euros) per kWh for storage units in connection with a photovoltaic system with a nominal output of up to 30 kilowatt peak, and 300 euros (instead of 400 euros) per kWh for larger storage units.
As a result of an expert hearing, new funding conditions will apply from 1 February 2019. Investors will receive a bonus of 500 euros for grid-serving charging stations for electric vehicles. The bonus for forecast-based battery management systems, on the other hand, will no longer apply. Photovoltaic systems between ten and 14 kilowatt peak will receive an additional one-time subsidy of 400 euros from the Ministry. Further changes concern the minimum installation ratio and the active power limitation. In addition, the support programme will be opened up to farmers.
https://um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/…foerdermoeglichkeiten/pv-speicher/
Keywords:
Stakeholders, DE-News, Energy storage, Renewable, Funding, News Blog Baden-Württemberg, Electricity storage, Environmental policy, Economics
Between 2011 and 2016, the average price of building land for owner-occupied homes across Germany rose by 27 per cent from 129 euros per square metre to 164 euros. In the major cities, the price per square metre of building land rose by 33 per cent - from just over EUR 250 in 2011 to just under EUR 350 in 2016. This not only makes residential property significantly more expensive, but also puts the brakes on affordable rental housing construction. This is the result of an analysis by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).
The analysis is based on purchase price data from the official expert committees for property values for the last five years. In the urban and rural districts, the price level and increase lagged behind the major cities. However, even there the increase was well above the general rate of inflation. In the urban districts - often districts surrounding large cities - purchase prices for undeveloped land rose from 132 euros per square metre in 2011 to 156 euros per square metre in 2016 (+19 per cent), while in the rural districts, the price per square metre of building land rose from 64 euros to 78 euros in 2016 (+20 per cent).
The average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development also rose significantly - by 27 per cent to EUR 112,000 in 2016. In the major cities, the average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development was just under EUR 200,000 (+ 25 per cent). Average purchase prices have risen particularly sharply in expensive cities. "Rising land prices determine the purchase or construction costs to a considerable extent, especially in the growth regions. This makes residential property more expensive," says BBSR expert Matthias Waltersbacher. "In tight markets, high building land prices are also driving rents for new builds up to EUR 14 to 16 per square metre. This means that privately financed residential construction at affordable rents is no longer possible."
While the transaction figures for plots of land for owner-occupier development remained fairly stable in the urban districts between 2011 and 2016, they fell by 30 per cent in the major cities. Transactions fell particularly sharply in expensive cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart. Rural districts recorded an increase of just under 15 per cent in the same period. "Property prices have recently risen so sharply that the pressure to realise them often no longer allows for the development of single-family homes," says Waltersbacher. "More and more buyers are looking for alternatives in the surrounding area."
The analysis is based on an examination of the independent cities and rural districts for which transaction data for properties is available via the purchase price collections of the expert committees for property values in a complete time series since 2011. This representative longitudinal section covers around a third of all cities and districts in Germany. A comprehensive analysis of the land and property market for the years 2015 and 2016 will be presented by the Working Group of the Higher Expert Committees, Central Offices and Expert Committees in the Federal Republic of Germany (AK OGA) in December 2017 with the German Property Market Report.
Download the analysis:
To the pdf download
Keywords:
Construction and operating costs, DE-News, Media, New books and studies, Economics
The planning practice and planning culture of German cities are the focus of a comprehensive handout produced with the cooperation of the German Association of Cities and Towns and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development. The brochure brings together 55 projects from 34 cities that show how multifaceted municipal planning practice is implemented in Germany. The documentation of successful projects and exemplary Planning Processes offers a rich fund of ideas and is intended to encourage new approaches. It covers a broad spectrum of good practice and innovative solutions on strategic concepts, citizen participation, housing, urban design, urban renewal, neighbourhood management or mobility. The brochure, published in April 2016, is addressed to representatives of local politics, administration and civil society initiatives in cities, but also offers inspiring practical examples for research and teaching.
Download: www.staedtetag.de/...staedtebau-planungspraxis-staedte-2016
Keywords:
DE-News, Media, New books and studies, Quarters, Settlements, City, Housing policy
