Viernheim: Urban development and energy policy

Abstract:

The municipality of Viernheim has committed itself to reducing CO₂ emissions by 30% by the year 2010. The basis for the aims in CO₂ reduction is an energy concept which states in detail the intended policy measures. Currently, the elaboration of a climate concept is underway. This case study is a remarkable example of the integration of environmental goals into the policy network of a small town. The following areas of activities can be named as good practice:

• New municipal and private buildings are subsidised if the low energy construction requirements can be achieved;  
• The municipality acts as a model, as electricity and heating for the town hall is generated by a small-scale combined heat and power station;
• The public utilities subsidise solar plants for the production of hot water and the conversion to natural gas burning equipment;
• Environmental targets are considered in all municipal planning;
• The municipality participates in international information networks.

Concept and aims

For more than ten years the town of Viernheim has been pursuing the aims of ecological urban development. In the densely populated Rhein-Neckar area, the redefinition of urban development from an environmental perspective has had significant impacts on a number of policies. In particular, consideration has to be given to architectural, construction, and cultural aspects of urban development. Furthermore, the urban and environmental planning has to follow a certain set of guidelines. The following themes can be named:

• Networking of thinking and action;
• integrated and comprehensive planning;
• careful urban renewal;
• cost- and space effective construction;
• emission reductions especially of CO_2- and SO₂-levels;
• energy and water savings.

All planning areas require the combination of traditional planning with an additional information input from informal planning as environmental targets can only be reached with information from different policy fields. This method should enable the town planners to obtain the scope of action for individual functions like living, trade, communications, leisure time, and recreation. Thereafter, the findings have been transferred to different plans, expertises, and information forums. However, it is equally important to anchor the local climate protection and energy saving policies in the statutes of local utilities as aims attain greater credibility when the town proclaims its intention to attain them within a network. The following plans derive from this planning and implementation approach:

• Scenarios of urban development Viernheim 2030;
• Architectural framework planning for the town centre;
• Framework plan for green areas;
• A framework plan for recreation.

Further information on detailed planning areas was provided from planning workshops and hearings. These forums mainly discussed urban development and environmental impacts (e.g., the blocks in the redevelopment area, extension of the town hall, the development of Tivoli Park, the development of the Rhein-Neckar shopping centre). In addition to preparing construction and implementation, these plans and planning methods were intended to spur intense political debate and were, at the same time, a means of involving and informing citizens.

Whereas these tools made a contribution to implementing long-term effective urban development with the aims and guidelines, the energy concept provides an up-to-date basis for all energy relevant methods in Viernheim. According to this energy concept, the areas of energy savings and environmentally compatible energy production were equally important fields of action. An important element of the energy concept is the integrated energy supply concept. It was formulated in 1985 for the whole town, and primarily describes possibilities of environmentally compatible supply using distribution based energy sources. It is also the foundation of the climate protection concept "Brundtlandstadt - a model energy saving town." This concept aimed to find means of reducing CO₂ by 30% by the Year 2010.

Implementation

In recent years, a number of energy saving activities have been developed in Viernheim. The spectrum of activities ranges from pilot projects to energy saving measures:

• In the new residential area an ecological, residential pilot project was created which included low energy construction methods.
• A retirement home was built with the useable area of some 12,000 m2, and energy consumption below 50 kWh/m^2.
• Five other low energy houses were built as part of a support programme of the Viernheim Public Utilities: two semi-detached houses, two residential and office buildings, and a building with 32 local authority flats were granted subsidies as low energy houses.
• Through the rational arrangement of buildings, or central heating supply through the construction plan, influence was exerted on the energy needs in other new residential areas.
• By introducing a linear electricity tariff, the Viernheim Municipal Utilities has provided the customers an increased incentive to introduce electricity saving measures. In addition, an attractive night-time use tariff was introduced.
• An energy information office was opened by the Municipal Utilities providing information for all customers on energy saving measures. The information offered by the office ranges from advice for home builders to the best choice of electrical appliances.

The new experiences contribute to the initiation of several other concepts, advice and support programmes (e.g. concept for public relations work, a subsidy programme for redeveloping energy use in residential buildings, the organisation of do-it-yourself courses for solar collectors, and the introduction of an energy management of public buildings).

The experience and views on the related work is continuously exchanged with the four other Brundtland municipalities in Europe (Toftlund/Denmark, Bredtstedt/Schleswig-Holstein, Rheinsberg/Brandenburg and Rajec/The Slovac Republic).

Results and Impacts

Rational energy production currently focuses on three small-scale combined heat and power stations (CHP) operated by the Viernheim Municipal Utilities.

The so-called "Essigzapfen" CHP station went into operation in 1993. This is a large station with electrical output of 2,880 kW and thermal output of 15,000 kW.

The oldest small-scale CHP station in Viernheim is installed in the town hall and went into operation in 1980 with an electrical output of 488 kW and thermal output of 2,000 kW.

The smallest plant went into operation in 1994, in the Nibelungen School, with 50 kW of electrical output and 750 kW thermal output.

For two years, the Municipal Utilities have been subsidising the construction of solar energy collectors. Within this programme four solar collectors for producing hot water have gone into operation and a further ten were planned in 1994.

For conversion to natural gas, the Viernheim Municipal Utilities are offering subsidies of DM 1,000 for each low energy burner.

Source of Information

Stadt Viernheim / Amt für Stadtentwicklung und Umweltplanung 1994: Das Modellprojekt Brundtlandstadt - Die Energiesparstadt in Hessen - Viernheim

Kissel, Harald 1996: Urban development and local energy policy. The example of the Brundtland municipality of Viernheim, in: EA.UE, (ed.), Facing the Challenge. Successful Climate Policies in European Cities, Berlin, pp. 81-84

Contact:

Cities:

Viernheim :

Viernheim is a town with some 32,000 inhabitants located in the area of Heidelberg. The town is part of the province of Bergstraße in the district of Darmstadt in the Federal Land of Hesse. The nearest city, Mannheim, is located close to the industrial city of Ludwigshafen in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is the home of the chemical company of BASF. The number of dwellings in Viernheim is approximately 5,000. The town has around 9,000 workplaces at some 1,500 businesses.

Population:

Project was added at 21.06.1996
Project was changed at 06.03.2001

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