Web database of sustainable settlements and neighbourhoods

State government adopts sustainability strategy for NRW

Published

In June 2016, the state government adopted a sustainability strategy for NRW. It is the first federal state to commit to implementing the global sustainability goals of the United Nations and has defined a system of targets and indicators for key areas of action.

Here are two of seven focus areas:

  • Greenhouse gas emissions; target: reduce greenhouse gases by at least 25 per cent by 2020 and by 80 per cent by 2050Environmental strategyBiodiversity strategy
  • Size of settlement and transport areas; target: limit land use for settlement and transport to an average of five hectares per day by 2020

In future, IT.NRW will present an up-to-date indicator report on sustainability in NRW every two years. The sustainability strategy will be updated every four years.

Press release from 02.07.2016 read: www.nachhaltigkeit.nrw.de/...


Keywords: Greening / climate adaptation, Soil & land consumption, DE-News, Renewable, News Blog NRW, Resource efficiency, Environmental policy, Life cycle assessment, Ecology

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Published

Higher CO2 price for heat and transport from January 2021

Bundestag approves amendment to law. Citizens will be relieved from revenues

From 1 January 2021, climate-damaging fossil fuels will be subject to a price of 25 euros per tonne of CO2 is proven. This means that oil and diesel will become more expensive by 7.9 cents per litre, petrol by 7 cents per litre and natural gas by 0.6 cents per kilowatt hour. Citizens will be relieved of the additional costs, among other things, by a reduction in the price of electricity. The amendment, which had already been passed by the Bundestag on Thursday, also passed the Bundesrat today. The Fuel Emission Trading Act (BEHG) is designed to reduce CO2-price in the form of national certificate trading for the heating and transport sectors.

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze: "The CO2-price is coming. It will be crucial for success that there are good and affordable alternatives to heating oil, natural gas, petrol or diesel. That's why we're giving the revenue from the CO2The price is returned to the citizens in several ways: through a reduction in the price of electricity or through subsidies for new climate-friendly heating systems, for example. The goal is not to collect more money - the goal is to ensure that switching to climate-friendly alternatives is also the right choice for the wallet."

The amendment to the law that has now been passed implements the agreements reached by the Mediation Committee on 18 December 2019 and sets a new price path, which is set at €25 per tonne of CO2 will start on January 1, 2021. In 2026, the fixed price will move into a price corridor of 55 to 65 euros per tonne of CO2 about. An evaluation in 2025 will show whether free pricing will be applied in subsequent years. The new system covers all of Germany's fuel emissions insofar as they are not included under the EU-emissions trading (EU–ETS) fall.

In parallel, higher compensation measures for citizens and affected companies will be implemented. The revenues of the national emissions trading system will be used in particular for the relief of the EEG-surcharge, a core component of the electricity price. Households and companies are thus relieved in a targeted manner. The reduction in the electricity price also makes the switch to electricity-based alternatives such as electric cars or heat pumps more financially attractive. In addition, the German government is promoting the climate-friendly alternatives, for example by investing more in PUBLIC TRANSPORTrail network and charging infrastructure, as well as through well-funded subsidy programmes for building renovation and climate-friendly heating.

The Law download epub:
http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/199/1919929.pdf

Source: BMU press release No. 177/20 of 09.10.2020 



Keywords:
Car Free, Construction and operating costs, Building materials / Construction, Procurement, DE-News, Renewable, Wood construction, Climate protection, Mobility, Environmental policy, Economics

Greens doubt the sense of the alliance for affordable housing
Published

Greens doubt the sense of the alliance for affordable housing

Has Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks (SPD) raised expectations with the Alliance for Affordable Housing and Building that ultimately cannot be fulfilled? The Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Bundestag is investigating her doubts about the meaningfulness and effectiveness of the alliance in a question. And they want to know: How and when will the alliance be continued?

Read the full article from 2 January 2017: www.immobilien-zeitung.de/...gruene-zweifeln-am-sinn-des-buendnisses-fuer-bezahlbares-wohnen



Keywords:
DE-News, Affordable housing, Housing policy

„Bündnis für moderne Mobilität“
Published

"Alliance for Modern Mobility"

ADFC assures cities of support

21 November 2019. Today, the Federal Ministry of Transport, together with the federal states and local authorities, is establishing an alliance for modern mobility. The aim is to create more space for environmentally friendly means of transport.

This also includes the rapid expansion of cycling in accordance with the climate package of the Federal Government. The bicycle club ADFC is represented with a keynote speech. ADFC Federal Executive Director Burkhard Stork assures mayors of full support in the expected land conflicts.

ADFC National Director Burkhard Stork said in the run-up to the event: „From 2020, for the first time there will be real money from the federal government to finance high-quality cycle path networks, cycle bridges and cycle parking facilities in the municipalities. To make sure that this money gets to the roads quickly, mayors and their administrations must start planning now - and build really good cycle paths from 2021 at the latest. As everywhere else in the world, there will be conflicts when it comes to redistributing road space. This is where it is important to show attitude and leadership, dear mayors. The ADFC, with its more than 450 branches nationwide, will strengthen you in this!"

Climate package: 900 million euros more for cycling
The papers on the climate package explicitly state that "the potential of cycling, which is far from being exhausted" is to be exploited. Together with the federal states and municipalities, "cycling networks" are to be implemented on which "every road user" will feel safe and "every route can be covered by bicycle". Area-wide cycle path networks" are to be created by converting normal roads into "cycle lanes", "converting lanes into protected cycle lanes", "safely redesigning junctions" and building "modern cycle parking facilities". In addition, cycling traffic is to be accelerated by "green waves" wherever possible.

The Federal Government is investing a lot of money in all these projects: 1.45 billion euros will be available for cycling until 2023, which is an additional 900 million euros in this period. The money is available through medium-term financial planning even after a change of government. StorkAlthough the climate package as a whole is disappointing because it continues to set disincentives for excessive car use, it marks a vehement departure for cycling. Not only does the government intend to at least triple cycling. It also admits that the previous, rather cosmetic methods of promoting cycling do not go far enough. From 2020 onwards, there should be really ambitious and high-quality construction for cycling, that's the signal to the cities!"

About the ADFC
The Allgemeine Deutsche Fahrrad-Club e.V. (ADFC) is with more than 185,000 members the largest representation of interests of cyclists in Germany and worldwide. It advises on all matters relating to bicycles: law, technology and tourism. Politically, the ADFC is committed to the consistent promotion of cycling at regional, national and international level.

Source: ADFC PM from 21.11.2019

Links
www.nakomo.de



Keywords:
Car Free, Bike-/Velo-City, DE-News, Climate protection, Mobility, Transition Town, Environmental policy, Ecology

Block architecture: Monotonous new buildings
Published

Block architecture: Monotonous new buildings

"Why do the same dreary apartment blocks have to be built everywhere?" asks F.A.Z. economics writer Nadine Oberhuber in Your post from 26.04.2017. She thinks "unambitious" is still the most harmless word of the viewers for the block architecture". As the main cause she quotes her F.A.Z. colleague and architecture critic Niklas Maak who observes a "radical economization of building", similar to the Bundesstiftung Baukultur.

Even the sustainable settlements cannot escape this pressure for returns and are becoming increasingly unimaginative, as I have unfortunately noticed in my observations over the last 20 years. "It's not pretty", as Gerhard Matzig puts it in his Contribution from 16.4. using the example of Munich's housing construction.

 



Keywords:
Aesthetics / Architecture / Building Culture

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