Citizen engagement: A catalysator for sustainable cities?
Cities are major contributors to climate change and at the same time do have a lot of potential for change and innovation. What role can citizens play in creating sustainable cities? For a conference in Sao Paulo, a fellow LSE MPA student and I examine an innovative example from Austria.
Cities have a crucial role to play in tackling climate change and its consequences. This is because of their proximity to citizens and their ability to react quicker to challenges (than higher levels of government). In addition, many scholars argue that active citizens are a core component of the concept of sustainabiity.
International organizations, private and public actors have made efforts to generate this active participation for the creation of sustainable ciies. Organizations like UNDP have promoted strategies to foster that engagement for example through civil society expertise and partnerships.
In May 2012, the city of Vienna, together with the local utility company, WienEnergie, launched a project of community-funded solar power plants as part of the city’s strategy for climate protection and the phasing out of fossil fuels.
Citizens’ Solar Power Plants: solar energy for everyone
WienEnergie offers citizens to purchase individual solar panels at the price of 950Euro. The citizens become co-owners of the plant and lease it back to WienEnergie which in return pays an annual dividend of 2.25% to the solar panel owner. Citizens commit to a five year contract but do have the possibility to terminate the contract earlier. Upon the end of the life cycle of the solar panels - after 25 years - WienEnergie buys back the solar panel.
This is the first project of its kind that has been implemented in an urban area. It’s a response to urbanites who wish to take an active part in a new form of ecological energy supply when they do not have the chance to do so because they live mostly in rented flats.
Vienna’s citizens have enthusiastically bought into the idea. A prove of the success is that all the solar panel of the two first Citizens’ solar power plants were sold out within a single week. The first solar plant alone provided energy to 200 local households.
A model to export to other cities?
The main driver behind people’s investment decision was not financial. The city managed to offer citizens an opportunity to contribute actively to a more sustainable Vienna. Citizens buy into the idea of a sustainable future and align their interest with the overall goal for their city.
What lessons can be drawn from the example in Vienna? What are the conditions that contribute to the success? What elements can be transferred to other countries? In our paper we analyse the example from Vienna and try to find answers to some of these questions.
Read more about the conference in Sao Paulo and the findings of the paper here soon. In the meantime have a look at what Vienna is doing: Citizens’ Solar Power Plants