Urban Heat Transition

The current political debate gives the impression that there are two separate housing issues: the supply of affordable housing and the climate-friendly construction and operation of housing. No solution is yet in sight for either of these housing issues: housing is becoming unaffordable for increasingly broad sections of the population in more and more parts of Germany. At the same time, the building sector in Germany is responsible for around 35 percent of final energy consumption and 30 percent of CO2 emissions.

The flagship project addresses one aspect of this socio-ecological housing issue: the urban heat transition. This brings together two aspects that have mostly been discussed separately until now: first, the decarbonization of heat supply systems, meaning the conversion of heating infrastructure. Second, the increase in the energy efficiency of residential buildings through energy-efficient modernization.
This integrated approach makes it possible to understand the supposed and actual conflicts of interest between the social and ecological concerns of the heating transition and thus to identify ways to achieve the urgently needed socio-ecological transformation.

Theoretically and conceptually, the project is based primarily on research approaches from climate governance, housing research, planning theory, and implementation research. It addresses three overarching research questions:

● What implications does the intertwining of the housing and climate crises have for political decision-making?
● What socio-ecological conflicts of interest arise from the urban heat transition and how are these negotiated?
● What constellations of actors, interests, and conflicts accompany the municipal heat transition?

In addition to empirical research, the project also includes a transdisciplinary dimension: regular workshops will bring together practitioners involved in the urban heat transition, primarily from civil society (such as NGOs and social movement initiatives), but also from administration and politics. The aim is to create a synergistic relationship between researchers and practitioners. The goal is to establish a “community of practice” that is committed to a socio-ecological urban heat transition. For this purpose, we want to bring together actors who have hardly been networked so far and are underrepresented in public and political debate.