This article is a product of Politico Working Group presented by Holcim and is part of Politico Global Policy Lab: Living Cities,
Vienna – the greenest city less cars, less pollution And more trees are better for everyone in the long run – but more immediately, may cut short the policy changes needed to make them a reality.
eat extensively in cities 70 percent of global CO2 emissionspressure local governments to set green targets and take ambitious steps to reduce emissions. But these policies often face fierce popular backlash that puts politicians in a bind: How can they push through the big changes needed without losing the support of residents and their voters?
An important step in reducing emissions is tackling private car use – a vexing issue that strikes a nerve. In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s expansion of cycling infrastructure is completed fierce opposition, In Brussels, the regional Good Move plan, which aims to decongest traffic in the Belgian capital, caused riots And it has come to a standstill in many mohallas.
In Vienna, already one of Europe’s greenest cities, local officials are treading cautiously.
“Mobility is a highly emotive topic for people,” said Stefan Auer-Stugger, member of Vienna’s municipal council committees on climate, environment, urban planning and mobility.
“When it comes to most policy issues people tend to accept the position taken by the experts, but when it comes to mobility everyone feels they are the experts. So we have to find a way to get people on board. “
This is especially true given the scale of change ahead, which in many places may require ridding cities of cars.
rapid change
Jakob Dunkel, co-founder of Vienna’s award-winning Quaercraft architecture studio, argued that the COVID pandemic showed the potential for people to live in ways that previously seemed unimaginable.
If people “wake up on a Monday and overnight all the cars are gone,” they get used to the new situation within a few days, dust off their bikes and find new ways “in no time.” Let’s take a walk around the city.
Dunkel argued that the urgency of the climate crisis makes it all the more important that cities move forward with green policies, despite potential pushback. For example, people may complain about a plan to pedestrianize a street, but once the cars are gone, they will very quickly accept the change and will not request that the measure be reversed. , They said.
Jürgen Zarnohorsky, Vienna’s acting city councilor for climate, environment, democracy and personnel, agreed that the city needed to “move fast and do more”. But making rapid progress also means “avoiding strife,” he stressed.
He said that cities need to approach the rollout of green measures with “an open hand rather than a clenched index finger”, arguing that cities should “work on citizen participation, democracy innovation”. [and] involving people.”
“Casting this as a fight between right and wrong or a black and white issue will get you nowhere. If you’re telling half of them they’re wrong you’re not going to get the vast majority of people on your side.”
People are more likely to accept green policies if they can play a role in designing them, said Eliza Magdalena Hraboska, acting head of the New European Bauhaus’ unit at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
he pointed to vienna Platform 21 – A sustainable building partly funded by Brussels, designed with direct input from its eventual occupants Signature Scheme To promote climate-conscious urban development – as an example of a green project that is popular locally.
“We need to make it possible for people to come together, and part of that is letting them participate and making it easy for them to participate,” she said.
’emotional blindness’
Part of the challenge is convincing people that these changes – and the disruption they will cause to their daily lives – are urgently needed and cannot be delayed, said Masha Smirnova, campaign manager for the European Green Deal at Eurocities Said, 200 of the largest cities in Europe.
“Many people have an emotional blindness to what is seen as a long-term challenge,” he said.
City leaders need to find a way to explain how green policies serve a common purpose – such as ensuring clean air and access to recreational spaces – rather than focusing on any harm to residents’ rights.
Berthold Keren, CEO of Holcim Austria, also stressed the need to “start telling the right stories”.
He argued that city leaders must commit to setting “bold visions” and making them a reality without worrying about ruffling feathers. of Vienna successful social housing systemHe explained, “It was created not because we asked the people, but because our leaders decided it was the right thing to do.”
“Those who are in power now have been elected by majority to take decisions,” he said. “They need to be worried about the next election and more concerned about the decision making power.”
Keren acknowledged that some of those decisions are also likely to force polluting industries like his to make big changes. “We need to decarbonise basic materials and industry has to be at the vanguard of this revolution,” he said, stressing the importance of regulation “influencing markets and making sure they work”.
Dunkel, the architect, agreed that it was “time to stop debating and take a risk, even if it means not being re-elected.”
“But let’s take those risks with stories that don’t focus on terrifying scenarios with a lot of death,” he said. “Let’s drive people forward with optimism, with the promise that these bold measures will not only leave us with streets that are more resistant to climate change, but also a more beautiful city overall.”
This article is a product of Politico Working Group presented by Holcim and is part of Politico Global Policy Lab: Living Cities, It was prepared by Politico reporters and editors with complete editorial independence. learn more Regarding editorial content submitted by external advertisers.