Sustainable City of Zurich – on the way to 2000-Watt society

Within the scope of the legislative focal points of "Sustainable city of Zurich-on the way to a 2000-watt society", the municipal government sets an emphasis on environment, energy and climate protection politics designed with a long-term perspective (2050):

• The amount and mode of energy and resource usage should be altered in a manner allowing for the preservation of available energy and quality of the environment for future generations. Thereby, the central focus remains minor and environmentally friendly usage of energy as well as environmentally friendly handling of resources and closed cycles of matter. These objectives should be achieved through innovative technical solutions, social learning processes as well as new lifestyle and management concepts.
• The specifications of the "2000-watt society" are guidelines for sustainable development. It is furthermore used as a sustainability indicator, in particular to convey the average energy requirement per person which amounts to a maximum of 2000 watts. Renewable energy should cover up to 75% of the energy requirements. Additionally, the maximal C02-emissions per person will be decreased to one ton by the predetermined year.

The following strategized focal points were designed in order to aid in the attainability of the aforementioned goals:

Environment- and Climate-Compatible (non-nuclear) Energy Supply

• Concept of an attainable long-term 2000-watt society for the city of Zurich with an energy vision of 2020 as the milestone. The main focal measures which can effectively reduce the energy requirements to Factor 3 and the C02-emissions to Factor 9 within two generations should be pinpointed.
• Fundamental concepts for a future power supply of Zurich which does not require new core power plants.

Transformation of the Energy Vision of 2020 into the direction of a 2000-Watt Society:

• Plan of action for first steps in the direction of a 2000-watt society and implementation of the first measures. Focal points, therefore, are efficient and effective energy use and the increased implementation of renewable energies through an optimization of hydraulic power and augmented use of geothermic energy, sun, biomass and wind both for the states own budget as well as for the whole municipal area.

Sustainable Planning, Building and Administration:

• Spatial conditions will be created which foster economic development, facilitate a high quality of life and protect natural resources.
• Implementation of an urban building project with the lowest possible energy requirements which is to be regarded as an example for the 2000-watt society (i.e. city hospital Triemli). Therefore, sustainable building materials and an easy, use-oriented mechanization are to be implemented.
• Controlled and strategically reasoned investments in state assets. Furthermore, the planning process should consider not only the construction phase, but also consequential costs over the entire lifespan.
• The achievement of decreased energy usage and optimized flexible utilization in existing buildings.

State-Compliant Mobility:

• Facilitation of pedestrian and bike traffic through the deconstruction of routes and a focus on the awareness concerning this type of movement.
• Deconstruction of train, tram and bus networks and advancement of the operation of energy and environmentally efficient automobiles.
• Maintenance will be the prototype of mobility management along with individual state mobility concepts.
• Initating the processes for the establishment of steady road pricing in the economic area of Zurich together with the canton.

Boost Environmentally- and Health- Conscious Actions:

• Strengthening and expanding the knowledge over the coherences between environmental strains and health consequences (incl. health costs). Specific focal points construct measures for the alleviation of urban air and sound burdens, for the improvement of inner room climates in buildings, and for the promotion of health.
• Enhancement of incentives for preventive measures in environmental and health protection.
• Ideally, the municipality acts individually in particular environment and health related areas.

Project Sponsor: City of Zurich, Novatlantis

Website of the City of Zurich

Contact: Erik Schmausser, Novatlantis schmausser(at)novatlantis.ch