Green City of the Future

Area characterisation: 

The  six living labs are located in selected Munich neighborhoods, that face target conflicts between green space and housing requirements. Furthermore these neighborhoods are also characterized by development projects in various stages of planning as well as commercial areas. The spatial context of the living labs is  characterized by multiple building structures and a variety of actors (citizens, traders, etc.).

Objective: 

The aim of the project “Green City of the Future” is to develop integrated solutions to meet the challenges of climate change and subsequent densification in Munich and to test how these can be implemented in urban planning.

Actions: 

In addition to the regulatory services of green infrastructure for climate adaptation and the climate protection aspects in the building sector, the perspectives and potentials of urban society for a climate-adapted city were researched in six Munich neighborhoods. Through its practice-oriented work, the research team has developed adaptation measures that can be taken at governance, building, and open space levels to enable effective climate adaptation and mitigation. For an in-depth look at the project results, please check out our product website at  www3.ls.tum.de/lapl/gruene-stadt-der-zukunft/publikationen/

Potential impacts/benefits: 

The focus is on selected districts of Munich, which face the conflicting goals of green spaces and housing needs. In these living labs, an interdisciplinary research team of five working groups investigates how climate adaptation requirements can be anchored at various planning levels and processes. In this context, the microclimatic impacts of green infrastructure measures are modeled and socio-economic analyzes carried out to design urban green spaces with different groups of actors.

NbS benefits 
  • Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience
  • Reduce run-off
  • Reducing temperature at meso or micro scale
  • Developing climate change mitigation
  • More energy efficient buildings
  • Reduction of energy in the production of new buildings and building materials
  • Increase quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures
  • Enhancing sustainable urbanisation
  • Increase accessibility to green open spaces
  • Increase amount of green open spaces for residents
  • Increase awareness of NBS solution & their effectiveness and co benefits
  • Increase communities’ sense of ownership
  • Increase stakeholder awareness & knowledge about NBS
  • Increase willingness to invest in NBS
  • Social learning about location & importance of NBS
Transferability of the result: 

In the implementation phase, the focus will be on the transfer of knowledge from research to practice. For this purpose, actors of the planning practice, both from the municipal administration and planners from independent offices, as well as multipliers and important actors of the urban society (e.g. housing industry, traders, local politics, civil society initiatives and participation offices) are to be reached by target group-specific educational modules. Thus, the project "Green City of the Future" has great potential to show cities the way to a climate resilient future. It combines all aspects that need to be considered for the climate change problem (social, urban planning, climate regulation, economy) and thereby combines climate protection and climate adaptation measures to strengthen climate resilience. The innovative inter- and transdisciplinary approach of the project is also transferable to other cities that want to develop effective measures to deal with climate change impacts.

Financing: 

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Sustainable Development Goals 
  • 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • 13. Climate Action