Villach’s internal city processes are currently focused on further developing the framework conditions needed for sustainable transformation. A specially developed system helps integrate the objective of climate neutrality into all relevant administrative tools.
Villach has some particular challenges to overcome: municipal services such as the electricity supply, district heating and mobility services are operated by third parties and not by the city itself. The city therefore relies heavily on partnerships, having already established the Villach Climate Alliance several years ago in the aim of bringing together all key stakeholders and implementing joint projects. Companies and the city’s population are also involved in some pioneering projects. The city currently sees the evaluation and alignment of municipal tools with the objective of climate neutrality as a key lever in the sustainable implementation of climate targets. The human resources required for this purpose were successfully built up within the scope of the partnership with the BMIMI.
The “Climate Fit”- process
The city of Villach is implementing a comprehensive internal process as a key governance element aimed at establishing and continuously optimising sustainable, climate-friendly structures, responsibilities and tools. Politicians and the city administration are firmly behind the project. The process is being supervised by Villacher KlimaFit GmbH, a company established by the city. The city has developed a special system for evaluating and adapting all municipal tools, which can be used to assess municipal contracts, guidelines and measures in terms of their level of “climate neutrality maturity” (on a scale of 0 to 9).
“Creating the right framework conditions is the key for us in achieving sustainable transformation”, explains Deputy Mayor and Sustainability and Energy Officer Sarah Katholnig.
“We want to formulate the framework in such a way that every tool contributes towards the topic of climate neutrality and helps us to achieve our climate targets. We have developed our own classification system for this purpose based on the technology readiness level (TRL).“
The evaluation can be applied for instance to dedicated zoning plans, urban construction contracts and building culture guidelines, as well as to research projects in which the city participates. Around 20 municipal tools are currently being analysed and developed.
The Westbahnhof demo project
The new municipal requirements are to be implemented, among other places, in the Westbahnhof railway station demonstration area. In cooperation with Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) as owner of the land, a new city district is being built here with subsidised and privately financed housing, commercial areas, a nursery school, as well as recreational and green spaces. The framework conditions for developing a climate-neutral neighbourhood at this location were defined by the city and the urban development contract was approved by the city council. The plan for the demo area is to be used as a blueprint for developing further climate-neutral neighbourhoods in Villach.
A pioneer in renewable energy sources
In the next few years, the city of Villach aims to produce more electricity from renewable energy sources than the total amount consumed by all municipal buildings. Villach is a pioneer in the Alpe-Adria region through its development of previously unused municipal land for the purposes of generating solar power. The city’s renewable energy community went into operation in summer 2024. The number of production plants has already been increased to 31 and the number of procurement plants to 546. Commissioning of the 3.1 MWp open space PV system represented a milestone. At just under four hectares in size, it is the largest municipal facility in Carinthia. Together with all the other municipal facilities, it reduces CO2 emissions by 1,200 tonnes per year and is also used for agricultural purposes.
klimaneutralestadt.at/en/projects/pioneer-cities/villach-klima-fit.php
