Vienna expands bike infrastructure – 20 km for 2023
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
The scheme was proposed by Mayor Vincent De Wolf to help boost budgets after these were depleted during the pandemic
According to a report by Le Soir, yesterday, the mayor of Etterbeek, a district in the Brussels Capital Region, stated that local authorities needed to find more funds for green projects. Mayor Vincent De Wolf explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has left many municipal coffers empty and ill-equipped to finance important climate change policies.
This is why he proposed a loan scheme, where private citizens will be able to invest in their local governments, specifically for sustainability projects. The scheme he outlined showed that the money would be invested into the city for a period of 5 to 8 years and promised a 1.5% to 2% dividend rate.
The idea of tapping into citizen wealth, specifically for green projects is fairly unexplored, however, there are a few prominent examples from the European Union. One of the most successful case studies involves the city of Vienna and their scheme to sell shares from photovoltaic plants.
The basic idea behind that plan is to let citizens share the climate transition period and become an active part of it. On the one hand, it’s a way for the city to source quick funds and on the other, citizens who cannot make their own PV systems can take part in the green transition.
In one example, from the district of Donaustadt, a citizen solar power plant sold all of its shares for 475 euros a piece in just 26 hours - giving the city 38 million euros to build the project.
Mayor De Wolf’s idea, however, is a bit more modest. He explained that the municipality is looking for citizen investments of 15 million euros, which should help cover the city’s green projects in the next three years. These include renovations of public buildings and photovoltaic installations, which will cause energy savings and in his words “generate profits for the municipality”.
The scheme would, in essence, resemble a savings account in the city, offering similar returns. The major difference, according to De Wolf, however, is that these savings would be allocated solely for the city’s climate-policy agenda. The decision is not yet final as it needs to pass through the local government first.
While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months
The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum
While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms
City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
The European Commission has published its first progress report charting the achievements of the socio-cultural movement that combines beauty, inclusion and sustainability
The 2023 edition of the creative initiative promises to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way
A talk with Nicolae Urs, one of the key figures behind the city's new data platforms and online services strategy
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria