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Many cities across the world have the ambition of becoming carbon neutral, but exact figures of progress toward that goal are limited. Regarding Europe’s not overly ambitious 2020 carbon emission targets, many countries still have a long way to go (see Fig. 1), with cities as the prime objects for improvement. It is fair to say that the energy transition is lagging behind, for which several reasons can be given. One assumption, based on experience with projects with various European cities, is that cities—their administrations and other stakeholders—generally have insufficient understanding of how to gain and maintain control over the complex process of the energy transition with its multiple actors and diverse objectives and responsibilities. Another suggested reason is the lack of appropriate approaches, strategies, and methods to guide the energy transition in formulating clear targets and intermediate steps of mainly technical and spatial interventions. These, however are currently under development, and are being tested in cities across the continent—such as in Gothenburg, London, Rotterdam, Cologne, and Genova within the EU project Celsius (www.celsiuscity.eu), and in Amsterdam and Grenoble, for the EU project City-zen (www.cityzen-smartcity.eu)—with promising results so far. The main research question underlying this chapter is: How can cities be supported in their energy transition toward carbon neutrality? We will describe the development of approaches, strategies, and methods for the urban energy transition, their background and theoretical basis, and present urban case studies where they were applied. Finally, an outlook will be given for methodological developments in the near future.

Many cities are developing and implementing plans for urban restructuring and densification. The Municipality of Rotterdam has explored a number of strategies with the aim of creating a more attractive, lively city centre through densification and greenification. This study has researched what the actual potential for densification is and which impact on urban environmental quality and sustainability can be expected. With geodata and urban modelling, an evidence base was created that charted the effects of the proposed plans. This paper discussed how this was done and how it supported that particular stage of the process. It is expected that such evidence bases can significantly contribute to cocreation. By clarifying the societal and business value cases for different stakeholders inherent to plans, investments, and by exploring alternatives, a common operational picture is created that reduces complexity, speeds up the process, and enhances quality of outcomes.

© 2012, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Since the UN report by the Brundtland Committee, sustainability in the built environment has mainly been seen from a technical focus on single buildings or products. With the energy efficiency approaching 100%, fossil resources depleting and a considerable part of the world still in need of better prosperity, the playing field of a technical focus has become very limited. It will most probably not lead to the sustainable development needed to avoid irreversible effects on climate, energy provision and, not least, society. Cities are complex structures of independently functioning elements, all of which are nevertheless connected to different forms of infrastructure, which provide the necessary sources or solve the release of waste material. With the current ambitions regarding carbon- or energy-neutrality, retreating again to the scale of a building is likely to fail. Within an urban context a single building cannot become fully resource-independent, and need not, from our viewpoint. Cities should be considered as an organism that has the ability to intelligently exchange sources and waste flows. Especially in terms of energy, it can be made clear that the present situation in most cities are undesired: there is simultaneous demand for heat and cold, and in summer a lot of excess energy is lost, which needs to be produced again in winter. The solution for this is a system that intelligently exchanges and stores essential sources, e.g. energy, and that optimally utilises waste flows. This new approach will be discussed and exemplified. The Rotterdam Energy Approach and Planning (REAP) will be illustrated as a means for urban planning, whereas Swarm Planning will be introduced as another nature-based principle for swift changes towards sustainability.

The City of Amsterdam has ambitious goals as to become climate neutral. This will only be possible through a structured approach to both new and existing neighbourhoods. Following steps from the New Stepped Strategy - as used in the Rotterdam Energy Approach and Planning (REAP) - and using the methodology of Energy Potential Mapping (EPM), the Amsterdam Guide to Energetic Urban Planning (in Dutch: Leidraad Energetische Stedenbouw, LES) must become the manual that will support urban area (re)development towards energy neutrality. The Guide clarifies local Amsterdam energy potentials, both natural and anthropogenic, and gives an extensive overview of measures and data to be used for the sustainable provision of electricity, heat and cold. This is presented in a very tangible manner, practical to urban planners, architects, housing corporations, developers, public institutions and politician. The Amsterdam Guide has been tested on two sites, one to be newly constructed and another to be redeveloped, and the incremental approach proved worthwhile, enabling energy neutrality in both cases. The Guide has incited discussions on both short-term actions and long-term visions needed to facilitate real climate neutrality in the city of Amsterdam., Building Technology, Architecture