ImmoKlima - Real estate and housing strategies and potentials in regard to climate change | Umweltbundesamt

Background and Goals

As part of the research field "Urban strategies for climate change", the ExWoSt publication "ImmoKlima - Real estate and housing strategies and potentials in regard to climate change" focuses on the scientific documentation of eight pilot projects in the real estate and housing sector that have holistic strategies for climate protection and adaptation.

In addition, within the framework of the new ExWoSt research project "Risk assessment of future climate effects in the real estate and housing industry" (ImmoRisk), a target-group oriented instrument is being developed for supporting the assessment of climate risks for 15 sites, including those of the ImmoKlima pilot sites (see link to ImmoRisk).

The special report "Climate change scenarios for private owners of residential properties" uses example scenarios to provide a perspective on the need for climate adaptation action for private property owners, who usually have limited resources and are therefore more vulnerable to the risks of localised extreme weather events, without the possibility of offsetting losses through diversification (see link to special report).

The eight pilot projects are:

•  Integrated energy, modernization and user concepts in the Marienhöhe quarter in Tempelhof, Berlin;  
•  Climate, environment and social issues in the mission statement of the Siedlungswerk Stuttgart
•  business strategies illustrated by the projects "FreiburgLeben" and "Seelberg-Wohnen" in Stuttgart;
•  Climate-conscious revitalisation of an ensemble of protected buildings – intercultural encounter centre Bodhicharya, Berlin-Friedrichshain;
•  Klimapakt Hamburg-Niendorf Nord – Integrated energy, modernisation and user concepts for a 1960s built environment;
•  Möckernkiez, Berlin-Kreuzberg – integrated, sustainable development of a new city quarter by private stakeholders;
•  Sustainable business strategies of the TPP Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, Günzburg: examples of projects in Günzburg and Augsburg;
• Development of the solar energy settlement in Erfurt-Marienhöhe; - SolarGardenCity in Hoyerswerda old town – climate-conscious redevelopment of urban wasteland

Objectives:

•  examination of pioneering, practical and integrated strategies for residential properties as well as commercial and mixed-use real estate,
•  integration, implementation and active participation in prescribed or planned community and regional frameworks (integrated climate concepts at neighbourhood, city and regional level and integrated sustainable urban development concepts);
•  assessment of effective strategies and concepts for partnerships and networks as contributions to supporting and advising local and regional framework plans in terms of climate-related problems and conflicting goals;
•  assessment of the perspective of project development and management in the life cycle of buildings (existing and new constructions); properties should be the focal point for the respective integrative assessments at other spatial levels (environment, neighbourhood, city, region).

This is expected to result in knowledge about practicable and promising networks or allies, their structures and stakeholder approaches, as well as about practical strategies and concepts in the areas of project development and management of real estate, and which strategies are best suited for exploiting the potential of all stakeholders as thoroughly as possible. Likewise, new insights are hoped for regarding conditions for promoting strategies, structures, processes and partnerships or networks. These findings are expected to provide the basis for determining the need for further action for legislation, for the development of funding policy, and for the stakeholders concerned.

Central questions of the research are:

1. Development and implementation of integrated strategies and use of technology:

•  What coordinated strategies in the areas of project development and management are transferable to climate change issues?
•  What strategies can, in their implementation, best exploit the local and regional planning frameworks to their fullest extent, or even extend beyond these limits through innovative approaches?
•  What role do innovative technologies play in this respect? What role do existing technologies play?

2. Development and implementation of promising partnerships:

•  In what specific areas of project development and management are partnerships/networks considered to be particularly conducive to the development and implementation of integrated approaches to climate change (climate protection and/or climate adaptation)?
•  With which stakeholders are they considered to be particularly effective and constructive? What are the relevant influential factors for success? What are the obstacles?

3. Economic benefits, incentives and market advantages:

•  How can partnerships and networks with stakeholders from the real estate and housing industry benefit from the commitment and implementation of integrated solutions to climate change (climate protection and climate adaptation)? What are possible win-win solutions in this case?
•  To what extent can the adaptive capacity, plus climate protection measures (reduction of greenhouse gases and the use of renewable energy), already be seen as a market advantage?
•  What are the incentives for developing and implementing adaptation strategies to climate change?

4. Contribution to integrated climate concepts and integrated, sustainable urban development:

•  What contributions can the various stakeholders in the housing and real estate business, together with other partners, make towards the planning and implementation of climate-conscious regional, city and neighbourhood development? Where should the boundaries be drawn? What are the synergies?

5. Development of tools for preparing and implementing climate change adaptation strategies:

•  What contributions can the various stakeholders in the housing and real estate industry make towards developing tools for preparing climate change adaptation strategies (e.g., developing information systems for risk analysis of locations, existing buildings, etc.)?

6. Influence of the local conditions on the development and implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies:

•  What conclusions can be drawn regarding the basic conditions (legal, funding policy, organizational, social, etc.) from the study of the pilot projects?
•  What conditions are likely to promote integrative concepts for climate change and/or adaptation in the housing and real estate industry and among other stakeholders? What conditions are likely to impede or hinder this goal?
•  What additional legal or funding policy frameworks are necessary?
•  What changes are required to existing conditions?
•  How, or in what areas, could integrated promotion campaigns encourage overall strategies for adapting to the climate change?

Content time

Research area/region

Participants