The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning

Research Project: Pilot projects energy-efficient urban redevelopment

Project briefing

With the KfW program 432 that was introduced in 2011, the neighborhood as a central level of action has moved to the focus of climate protection. Based on 63 pilot projects, program-related research has identified insights about the generation and effect of energy-efficiency neighborhood concepts and the methods of implementation management. For this, the exchange of experiences with stakeholders involved in the pilot areas was essential.

Project duration: July 2013 - October 2017

Key findings are available on a web page established for the research project. It contains information regarding neighborhood concepts and implementation management. Good-practice approaches, practical tips, and job aids can be found here, as well as published brochures and flyers as downloads. The information is aimed at local authorities, housing companies, public utilities and other stakeholders involved in energy-efficient urban redevelopment:

www.energetische-stadtsanierung.info

Background

‘Energy’ is a constant headline topic. Discussions of climate change, supply security, rising energy prices and the "energy transition" spurred along by the Federal Government have set new impulses that have reached urban development and urban renewal in the past few years. Reducing energy consumption, generating energy from renewable sources, as well as the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases are key goals.

Above the level of individual buildings and public infrastructure, energy-efficient urban redevelopment – especially in the building stock – is a complex task. Redevelopment, network renewal and the adaptation of the mobility infrastructure interact with demographic, economic, urban-development and housing issues. Demands and requirements of the various stakeholders – citizens, housing industry, private owners, energy industry – need to be harmonized. The neighborhood connection facilitates their integration, and the neighborhood level is of an appropriate scale for the development of targeted measures. The reduction of the buildings’ energy consumption, efficient heating-supply systems, and the corresponding use of renewable energies are starting points. Last but not least, better solutions can be developed at the neighborhood level for specific situations – such as neighborhoods with listed buildings or buildings particularly worthy of preservation.

While the program, assigned regular funding status in 2012, primarily is an accelerator, it also offers the possibility to carry out energy-efficient urban redevelopment from conception to implementation in a structured and qualified manner. The usage of the program was examined for five years in 63 pilot projects selected in autumn 2011, as suggested by the Federal States before the begin of regular funding.deral departments and is being jointly supported. At the same time this strategy is to form the basis for the involvement of additional participants.

Objective

Based on the 63 pilot projects, the research objective was to analyze and document the reception and usage of the KFW funding program "Energetische Stadtsanierung – Integrierte Quartierskonzepte und Sanierungsmanager" [urban energy-efficient redevelopment – Integrated Neighborhood Concepts and Implementation Management]. On the one hand, guidance for the further development of the program was gleaned from the compiled experiences, results and effects. On the other hand, recommendations for the practice on the ground were worked out. The research referred to both the program- and the project level. The concept-development stage and implementation-management work were investigated intensively. 12 of the 63 pilot projects were examined in greater detail as representative projects and as case studies.


Contractors of the research project were Urbanizers Büro für städtische Konzepte (Berlin), plan zwei Stadtplanung und Architektur (Hannover), KEEA - Klima- und Energieeffizienz Agentur (Kassel), IdE – Institut dezentrale Energietechnologien (Kassel).

Contact us

  • Wolfgang Neusser
    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
    Division WB 1 „General Housing and Property Markets“
    Phone: +49 228 99401-1281
    Email: wolfgang.neusser@bbr.bund.de

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