Vienna to receive 100 million euros for climate projects

Among them: cooling spots, water play system, and green energy heating

Vienna will support the fight against the climate crisis with large and small projects. By 2040 the city should become CO2-neutral and a total of 100 million euros of governmental funding will be made available for climate projects in Vienna's districts over the next five years.

To keep things from getting too far out of hand, the city administration established the new “Livable Climate Model City” funding programme to promote renovation measures in public spaces. Greening, cooling, unsealing of concrete and asphalt surfaces, shading, more water, and park expansions are among the measures used by the city and districts. This is said to be the "largest climate funding programme in Vienna's history."

The funding will be 20 million euros per year, available until 2025. The city will finance 40, 60, or 80 percent of the new climate programmes, depending on the project.

City Councilor for Planning Ulli Sima commented on the new funding: “In addition to active climate protection measures, we will support very specific projects in the districts over the next few years with our unique funding program in order to minimize heat islands throughout Vienna and make our city future-proof and climate-friendly.”

Many projects are also intended to protect the social climate

The city is looking for new ways to combat climate change, such as new roofs for pergolas in the park, a water play system, and green energy heating. This is motivated by rising temperatures in Vienna which have been observed for some time. For example, the year 2020 was the fifth warmest in recorded history.

Cooling spots, for instance, are designed to make life in the city more bearable during the summer. These are planted and shaded rooms with mist showers that can cool the interior by six degrees lower than the outside temperature. Then there are also the so-called "climate trees." These three-meter-high mist showers with a diameter of up to 2.2 metres often use spray mist to cool the area around the cooling spot.

Vienna's environment programmes include 25,000 trees to be planted by 2025, new greening modules to break up asphalt surfaces in the street district, and others. All of these steps, taken together, provide social climate security, so the majority of Vienna residents will be able to shield themselves from the effects of climate change.