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European Green City Index | Luxembourg (city)_Luxembourg European Green City Index | Luxembourg (city)_Luxembourg ternatives to the motor vehicle. Besides a well- where it rivals the signage for motorists. In line with SuperDrecksKëscht, a waste management connected public bus network, this strategy has with developments in other European cities, Lux- foundation to convert all public buildings to a also focused on providing Park and Ride facilities embourg has installed a public network of waste management standard. The city is prepar- outside the city limits, and developing an ex- rentable bicycles. For a short duration of 30 min- ing to launch bio-methanisation of organic Luxembourg (city)_Luxembourg
panding cycling network. City data for 2007 utes, rental is free, and a variety of short- and waste in 2010. The municipality is seeking to show that approximately 24% of people took long-term tariffs are available too. The city hopes provide leadership on waste management and public transport to work, and 9% walked or cy- that this will help to reduce the use of cars for cled to work. The city has 1.4 km of cycle lanes per square km, and 2.85 km of public transport Air quality: Luxembourg ranks a respectable routes per square km — both well above the av- Water: With a score of 8.97 in the Green City 8th place out of 31 in the air quality, with a score index’s water category, this is one of Luxem- of 7.89 out of 10. This reflects a decent per- Initiatives underway: The municipality has en- bourg’s strongest category rankings, coming in formance in terms of air pollution. In conjunc- gaged a German consultancy to provide advice fifth place. Luxembourg is among the best per- tion with the national environment administra- on the cycling network, in the form of a com- formers in terms of water usage per head per tion, the city keeps track of a range of air pollu- prehensive cycling concept. The goal is to in- year, with each resident consuming just under tants. The city is the best performer in the index crease the share of cycling in total transport 86 cubic metres (based on the lower night-time in terms of (low) ozone emissions and also has a from 1% to 10%. As part of this plan, existing population of the city). The city also manages to relatively low incidence of sulphur dioxide emis- cycle routes are to be upgraded and made safer, keep water leakages from the system particularly sions, but is generally a weaker performer in and signage is being improved to the point low at only 6.5 percent on average. Luxembourg terms of nitrogen dioxide emissions. In terms of city is traversed by a number of natural water- particulate matter in the air, there is also a low ways (both open-air and closed), and the city has occurrence. The city has identified motorised repeatedly taken measures to keep them clear of traffic as its main air pollutant, and is therefore Local agenda 21:
pollution. Water quality is constantly measured targeting its air quality policies mainly in this di- Supporting flora
and published online for transparency. Around rection, including through promotion of public 60% of the city’s drinking water comes from transport and “soft-mobility” (non-motorised and fauna
ground water to the north and east of the city, transport) options, reduction of city bus emis- and 40% is provided by a national water com- sions and dynamic traffic management initia- pany SEBES, from a basin further north in the belt surrounding — and reaching into — the Initiatives underway: Luxembourg city has city. Nicknamed “the green lung”, it consists Initiatives underway: The city of Luxembourg partnered with the national environment min- of over 130 ha of parks and green spaces and is seeking to reduce the impact of the “sealing” istry to create a comprehensive air quality plan more than 1,000 ha of forest. Given the easy of outdoor surfaces from gradual urbanisation, (“plan qualité air”), following repeated readings accessibility for residents of this natural en- which can reduce the natural rate of water seep- of excessive nitrogen dioxide emissions, which dowment, the city has focused on promoting age into the groundwater. New urban projects triggered an improvement plan under European biodiversity. In particular, it has dedicated incorporate designs to reuse rainwater, or to environmental directives. Having already made substantial resources to the implementation channel its flow into the ground rather than into some progress towards improving transport al- of a local biodiversity component of Agenda ternatives to motor vehicles by implementing an 21, a UN-backed framework for environmen- The city is running a project with farmers in ambitious cycling concept, in 2010-15 the city tal action. The main measures chosen by the water-catchment basins to considerably reduce plans to move towards the reintroduction of city of Luxembourg in this regard involve tol- the inflow of nitrates and pesticides.
trams on some city thoroughfares, improve the fairly low, and a higher-than-usual share of the siderable advantage in tackling environmental erance for wild-growing vegetation in the ur- availability of mobility infrastructure, limit the Luxembourg is the largest urban area in the state of Luxembourg, but with an estimated city’s territory is reserved for parks and forests.
issues, making those issues easier to manage ban environment, the rejection of herbicides Waste and Land use: Waste and Land use is number of heavy-lorry deliveries in the city cen- population of just 92,000, it is smaller than most The share of heavy industry and manufacturing than they would be in a metropolitan area of and genetically modified organisms, the sus- Luxembourg’s best category in the Green City tre and introduce new norms for newly con- European capitals. The city population, however, 100 times Luxembourg’s size (such as London or index, placing joint second with Zurich, just be- structed central heating systems. One item that swells during the day to around 2.5 times its Luxembourg was not one of the original 30 promotion of “green roofs”, the development hind Amsterdam, with a score of 8.82. This could make a considerable difference is the usual size, as commuters from Luxembourg, cities comprising the “European Green City strong outcome stems from the city govern- mooted increased use of district heating and co- France, Belgium and Germany commute in to Index”. For purposes of this city portrait, a theo- patterns, and the planting and maintenance ment’s robust commitment to an environmen- work. As a result, negative environmental exter- retical 31-city index was created, to evaluate (CO ) emissions in Luxembourg is comparatively of indigenous trees, bushes and hedges in tally sustainable approach to waste, which nalities, such as carbon emissions and air pollu- where Luxembourg would fit in with the cities in low, but Luxembourg is not among the best-per- helped it to keep the amount of waste per capita Environmental governance: Luxembourg ranks tion, are considerably higher than would be the original index. Based on this theoretical forming cities in the Green City index, placing (382.94 kg) to some of the lowest levels seen 7th out of 31 cities in environmental gover- expected for a city of this size, especially on a index, Luxembourg places a respectable 6th out 8th out of 31 in this category. CO emissions are across all comparison cities. With a 41% share of nance, not far behind the top performers, re- per-head basis. Our assessments use the day- of 31. The city scores respectably across all cat- estimated to be 4.3 tonnes per inhabitant per waste recycled, the city is the third-most-effec- flecting its strong commitment to environmental time population as a reference for the Green City egories, and particularly well in waste and land year. In this respect, Luxembourg ranks in the tive city in the index. The city’s commitment to sustainability. Luxembourg municipality’s ap- Index, since this population accounts for most of use, energy and water. Its lowest rank of ninth, middle of the cities in the index, but in terms of enjoyable green urban spaces is also solid, albeit proach to environmental governance is marked the environmental impacts. On the whole, how- in the category of buildings, still represents a emissions per unit of GDP, the city’s per- helped by its proximity to the countryside. Bio- by openness and accountability. Each year, the ever, Luxembourg has a favourable environ- reasonable outcome. Luxembourg’s strong envi- formance is much better, placing third. The city’s diversity initiatives and the protection of green city publishes an environmental assessment of mental situation. Luxembourg state has one of ronmental performance reflects the city’s green top-level CO strategy targets an increase in re- belts form the core of the city’s strategy. The the current situation and an action plan for the the highest GDP levels per head in the EU, and credentials and aspirations. There is also a case newable energy consumption (from a fairly low 1000 ha of communal forests are certified by the coming year, demonstrating the progress of ini- given Luxembourg city’s specialisation in finan- to be made that the city’s small size (with a day- share currently) and an improvement in the en- tiatives in each category. Data for various envi- cial and business services, the city has a high time population of 220,000, it has the smallest ergy efficiency of final energy consumption. As Initiatives underway: The city has partnered ronmental categories are easily retrievable.
per-capita income too. Population density is population of the 31 cities) represents a con- part of this approach, the city has focused on its European Green City Index | Luxembourg (city)_Luxembourg own energy consumption, in municipal build- (in a variety of ways) reduced private consump- lights has been reduced through more energy- may be that Luxembourg residents have access ple to local construction firms, a new building in Capturing and
efficient regulation of that system. The propor- to subsidies for heating and insulation. Pfaffenthal is built to passive house (low energy) using waste heat
Initiatives underway: The city of Luxembourg Initiatives underway: As part of the renew- tion of energy supplied by cogeneration plants is Initiatives underway: The city of Luxembourg standard entirely with ecologically sound build- has adopted an ambitious target for CO reduc- able energy drive, Luxembourg city offers sub- helps to provide consultation sessions on en- ing materials, taking the energy footprint of tion, looking to achieve a 10% reduction in CO sidies for the installation of mainly solar energy ergy-efficient building construction and renova- each material into account. Another municipal emissions of the city every five years. This com- panels on residences and commercial buildings.
Buildings: The buildings category delivers Lux- tion. The sessions consist of advice from experts building in passive house standard and using mitment was secured under the aegis of Luxem- There is also a wide range of programs that dis- embourg one of its poorer category rankings on converting residences and offices to low-en- ecologically sound building materials has al- emissions involved in heating residential and bourg city’s membership of the Klimabündnis, a (9th), despite a high 8.54 points. The relatively ergy buildings, installing solar panels or secur- ready been built in Hamm. All new city buildings member of the International Climate Alliance. The city is making a major effort to reduce low ranking reflects the tough competition from ing more energy-efficient heating systems. The are planned using this low-energy standard.
city has focused on co-generation, which al- In 2008 the municipality achieved its aim of the energy use of its lighting installations, of other west European cities with excellent scores initial assessment is free, and the homeowner having 100% of the electricity used by the mu- which there are three major components: street in this category. In particular, there are a num- pays 10% of the cost of subsequent consultation Transport: Luxembourg ranks 8th on transport electricity with a high energy efficiency, pro- lighting, festive lights, and the illumination of ber of cities with similar outcomes for energy sessions, with the city taking on the balance. issues, with 7.31 points out of 10. Given the fuels, which has allowed the CO emissions at- city monuments. Since 2009 all Christmas light consumption of residential buildings. Luxem- The city is seeking to apply ecological criteria city’s size limits, as well as the large number of benefits. The process rests on using the heat tributable to the city’s administrative functions bulbs have been replaced by energy-efficient bourg uses 686 MJ per square metre of residen- in its own building projects. As part of a flagship commuters entering the city each day, city poli- ones, and electricity consumption by street tial buildings. One reason for this good result project, which is intended to serve as an exam- cymakers have long been seeking transport al- buildings through a district heating network.
In a theoretical 31-city
The environmental benefits, as stated by the Buildings
Transport
Waste and
Air quality
Environmental
governance
city of Luxembourg, can be in the order of a index, Luxembourg places
a respectable 6th place.
tion and a 40% cut in CO emissions. In Lux- embourg's case, the city provides the co-gen- eration facilities, and residential or commer- Energy: Luxembourg scores one of its best cat- cial buildings can apply to be attached to the egory rankings for the Energy section, placing co-generation network (generally for heating fifth out of 31 with 7.5 points. The strong score purposes). The benefits to the heating con- is underpinned by a low energy intensity — the sumer include the savings associated with energy used per unit of GDP is the second-low- having heating provided externally and the est of all cities. Likewise, energy used per inhab- itant per year was 46 gigajoules (based on the number of inhabitants during the day). The en- ergy score is held back slightly by a weaker per- formance than many other European cities in the use of renewable energy as a share of total en- As a result, reducing the consumption of pri- mary energy and increasing that of renewable energies, while continuing to develop urban heating, are among the top priorities of Luxem- bourg city’s environmental plan. Cuts to energy consumption have focussed initially on the city’s own buildings, installations and vehicles, but there are also increasingly efforts to incentivise Luxembourg was not one of the original 30 cities comprising the “European Green City Index”. For purposes of this city portrait, a theoretical 31-city index was created, to evaluate where Luxembourg would fit in with the cities in the original index.

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