Cities need to think and act beyond their borders, consider the social and technological aspects in urban planning, and harness the ideas and potential of their citizens. These are the main conclusions of the new toolkit ‘How can your city become 100% renewable?’ launched by the European Green Capital Network.

The toolkit contains guidelines, tips and inspiring stories from renewable energy experts and urban planners from members of the European Green Capital Network, to help your city to take the next steps towards a carbon-neutral Europe.The toolkit looks beyond increasing renewable energy sources; it is also about improving energy efficiency and reducing energy demand through infrastructure changes in mobility, housing and other sectors. It explores the sustainable neighbourhoods of Umeå (Sweden), the solar energy strategy in Lisbon (Portugal), the retrofitted energy-efficient public buildings of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and regional cooperation for renewable energy in Nüremberg (Germany). It highlights successes, but more importantly it shows how the cities have achieved their goal and the obstacles they faced, such as opposition to wind park developments or the resistance to change consumption patterns. Access the toolkit here.