The town of Ternitz is able to draw on a wide range of activities and memberships and is using its upcoming organisational reform to integrate the topic of climate neutrality across all relevant areas of municipal administration.
Ternitz was an e5 municipality, is part of the Schwarzatal KEM region and was named an “Energy Role Model Municipality” in the LEADER region of Lower Austria South in 2023. Ternitz now has the opportunity of focusing on the town’s specific individual requirements and potential as part of the Pioneering city programme.
“In my opinion, the Climate-neutral City mission is the tailor-made solution from among the various options available. We are able to improve our strengths here and develop a programme that suits the town well,” says Town Administrator Gernot Zottl as he describes the added value of the mission.
The process of developing a climate neutrality roadmap for Ternitz is proceeding in a highly structured manner. It requires broad support at both the political level and throughout the entire administration in order for it to be implemented successfully. “Committed employees who are interested in the topic have offered their services here in all relevant areas of business and they are doing a great job. Following a number of workshops involving the general public, stakeholders and experts, we have developed a vision that forms the basis for the climate neutrality roadmap currently being produced”, reports Zottl.
Integrating climate-related topics
Structural reform is pending currently in the municipality, as responsibilities have shifted within the 20-year-old organisational chart. The town aims to use this process to ensure that the issues of climate protection and sustainability become firmly established components. “Sustainability is an issue that affects many different departments, such as construction, the building authority and public relations”, explains Zottl. “We are also planning for instance to do a climate check on all decisions in future. This means that we examine each measure carefully to determine whether it is climate-friendly, climate-neutral or harmful to the climate.”
Energy and mobility transformation
The energy transition has been a key topic in Ternitz for a long time now. The town already has a large number of photovoltaic power plants. One of the first citizen participation models in Austria for PV systems was launched in Ternitz back in 2013 in the form of the Ternitz solar power plant. New approaches and services need to be developed in the area of sustainable mobility. Zottl: “A small town in the Middle Schwarzatal valley faces no practical constraints that would support or encourage the switch from motorised private transport to public transport. There is little in the way of a ‘push’ here, which makes it all the more important for us to focus on the ‘pull’ effect, i.e. promoting the appeal of alternative mobility solutions.”
Renovation of a workers’ housing estate
The “Kooperativ Ternitz” project (Ternitz Cooperative, involving new cooperative models for climate-resilient revitalisation of residential areas) aims to revitalise an old workers’ housing estate in a variety of ways. A comprehensive concept for sustainable neighbourhood development is being prepared here, which in addition to the renovation of existing building stock, also involves measures for climate change adaptation, new mobility concepts, local amenities and the revitalisation of public spaces. The close cooperation between the owner SAG Schwarzatal and the charity Caritas Stadtteilarbeit, which brings important social aspects into the development process, represents a forward-looking approach.
klimaneutralestadt.at/en/projects/pioneer-cities/ternitz.php
