Krakow: Paving the way to climate neutrality

Krakow, alongside several other prominent Polish cities, is dedicated to achieving climate neutrality through the NetZeroCities programme. Within the framework of the NetZeroCities, these urban centres are diligently crafting their unique Climate City Contracts, which will serve as comprehensive blueprints for their individualised climate strategies. The groundbreaking initiative – an EU Mission project – has also united the Pilot Cities of Warsaw, Rzeszów, Łódź, Wrocław and Krakow in a collective effort to spearhead tangible solutions and innovations to accelerate their climate action activities. The cities have joined forces under the NEEST project to develop a practical retrofit tool to curb emissions from buildings. 

The Pilot Cities Programme (PCP), a key component of the NetZeroCities support to cities, is dedicated to assisting European cities in experimenting with and implementing innovative strategies for rapid decarbonisation. It operates by transcending thematic boundaries and functional silos to drive systemic change. The overarching aim is to develop a set of innovative solutions that are not only poised for immediate adoption but also primed for scaling and replication.

Recently, a selected group of cities from 21 European Union and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries was chosen to participate in the inaugural phase of the Pilot Cities Programme. These cities are set to receive substantive financial and operational support as they work to devise effective solutions tailored to address their key emissions challenges. The programme’s core principles hinge on a systemic approach and a commitment to fostering radical collaboration.

Both NetZeroCities and the Pilot Cities Programme are orchestrated under the guidance of EIT Climate-KIC as integral elements of the EU’s Mission “100 Climate- Neutral and Smart Cities”. Krakow has already participated in a programme led by EIT Climate-KIC called Deep Demonstration of Healthy, Clean Cities, which laid the foundations for systemic transformation by involving various stakeholders and citizens in decision-making processes.

“The Healthy, Clean Cities Deep Demonstration was our starting point. It’s where our adventure with systemic transformation began. It has introduced us to the right way of thinking about what really matters, about how to mobilise residents, how to organise different collaborative groups and it helped us realise that gaining public support is not just about public consultations. Sensemaking, which was carried out as part of the project also helped us a lot. We realised that all the elements of our framework are not separate entities, but that everything intertwines through most areas of city management, and everything has to form a coherent system. Only then do we have a synergy effect where certain elements work together and create added value. We joined NetZeroCities because we saw it as a natural continuation of what we had already started,” said Grzegorz Grzybczyk, Senior Specialist in the Department of Municipal Economy and Climate, Municipality of Krakow.

NEEST: accelerating Krakow’s built environment transition

Krakow began its climate journey several years ago, but it’s being part of the EU NetZeroCities that has truly propelled the city to take decisive action to decrease emissions. In addition to a robust portfolio of climate projects, Krakow undertook an emissions inventory, meticulously identifying the primary sources of emissions within the city. This assessment revealed that buildings stand out as a significant emissions source. Consequently, Krakow has chosen to focus its efforts on this domain as part of their Pilot Cities activities known as NEEST. This initiative is geared towards addressing energy-inefficient buildings (mainly residential and service buildings) and districts with the aim of substantially reducing the demand for coal-based electricity and heat.

“We have identified three main areas of emissions: Buildings, Transport and Waste. We have already done a great deal in terms of waste. We have a modern waste management system based on a hierarchy of procedures; we have a very high level of waste processing and on top of that a new waste processing centre is being built. We are equally active in the transport sector. A clean transport zone will be introduced in mid-2024, and we are the first city in Poland to decide to take such a step. The biggest gap we have is when it comes to buildings. And we see a great opportunity to close this gap with the NEEST project,” said Małgorzata Malina, Krakow’s Inspector in the Department of Municipal Economy and Climate.

The NEEST project comprises a comprehensive model of the technological revitalisation of five distinct building types in the form of a digital tool, with the aim of significantly reducing the emission factors within these structures to zero. It is not only about thermal modernization but, above all, about collaboration with residents and changing their thinking, revitalisation of urban spaces and adaptation of the environment to the needs of the residents. Furthermore, the NEEST project encompasses a wide array of measures, including organisational, financial, legislative and social aspects, alongside monitoring systems, evaluation and a strong focus on continuous learning. The project will provide valuable insights for the application of modernisation techniques and innovative technological solutions.

“The way the tool will work is that, for example, a city that wants to thermo-modernise a certain type of building will receive a package of ready-to-use solutions developed as part of the project, with everything already calculated. It is then clear how thick the insulation should be, what heat sources should be installed, whether heat pumps or perhaps solar panels on the roof and how much it will cost. The model immediately gives an estimate, so it automatically calculates the budget and how many different materials need to be purchased,” says Grzegorz Grzybczyk.

Taking an area-based approach to building modification, improving the quality of surrounding areas, and actively involving the community yield additional benefits. These include increased resilience to climate change and energy security, improved accessibility (including for individuals with special needs), enhanced social inclusion and a concerted effort to combat energy poverty. The Polish Pilot Cities will develop a guidebook that will enable other cities with similar building types to test and scale as well as create new models for a larger number of types of buildings based on available NEEST models.

Radical collaboration for the green future

Krakow recognises climate change as a cross-sectoral and cross-departmental challenge that requires a collaborative approach. It is a cross-cutting issue in all areas of city management, requiring the cooperation of many departments, municipal units and municipal companies, as well as (above all) joining forces with representatives of business, academia, building owners, residents, etc. To tackle the issue head-on, they’ve joined forces with fellow Polish cities in the NEEST project, uniting to combat building emissions through the development of a shared digital tool. Krakow firmly believes that radical collaboration is the key to accelerating progress on climate solutions such as the NEEST project.

“We applied for the project together with other cities because it was kind of a partnership-political decision whether we want to compete or whether we would rather put cooperation, which we value very much, on the line. We decided that we want to play for one goal. This project will serve to share experiences and information and to consult with other cities on an ongoing basis. We share not only the good practises but also the unsuccessful activities, which is rare in this kind of partnership. This requires a much higher level of trust between partners. We can talk openly, to point out the advantages but also the disadvantages so it means, firstly, that we can look at certain things in other projects and replicate them at home, and secondly, that we can see what has failed in others and not try it at home.” – Grzegorz Grzybczyk continues.

In addition to working with other Polish cities, to broaden the scope of the project, Krakow decided to involve other types of partners in the development of the digital tool. They teamed up with the National Centre for Research and Development, which is a valuable technical project partner and a driver of innovation. They also use the skills and experience of subcontractors, the Energy Forum, which represents the NGOS sector, and another state organisation, the National Centre for Nuclear Research. The city believes that jointly developed solutions will lead to even better results.

Climate City Contracts: Krakow’s climate strategy

At the same time, Krakow, as other Polish Mission cities, is developing and implementing their Climate City Contract, which will address barriers, identify all the key actions to achieve climate neutrality and the ways and means to implement them. Tackling emissions from buildings, which is the goal of their participation in the PCP, contributes to the Climate City Contract process. Grzegorz Grzybczyk underlines the importance of the Climate City Contract, by calling it Krakow’s main climate strategy.

“As we have embarked on the mission, we will not create a separate climate strategy for Krakow, because our Climate City Contract is de facto such a strategy. There, we include our targets and how we will achieve them, and we indicate everything by giving specific numbers, specific emission levels and how we will reduce them in specific years. We also outline the specific actions we want to take, some of which we are already taking, as well as the financial aspects, how much funding we have, how much we will allocate and how much we need. It’s a very significant document that will probably define Krakow’s climate action for the coming decades,” says Grzybczyk.

According to the Krakow City Council’s resolution, the city should become climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest. By joining the EU Mission on climate neutral cities, Krakow wants to accelerate its efforts and reduce most emissions by 2030. The city acknowledges the formidable nature of the task at hand, yet firmly believes in the importance of pursuing this ambitious goal with unwavering determination. They recognise that every stride towards achieving net-zero emissions is of immeasurable value and that collective action is the catalyst for meaningful change.