Växjö municipality, together with its inhabitants, businesses, organisations and university, are all working towards a better environment and a smaller carbon footprint. The city has high ambitions to make itself sustainable, energy-efficient, fossil fuel-free and with a large proportion of wooden buildings.

The city of Innsbruck in Austria (120 000 inhabitants) defined its 2025 Energy Plan back in 2009. In this context, and as part of the SINFONIA project, the city has selected its eastern district to demonstrate the large-scale implementation of energy-efficient measures, with the objective of achieving on average 40 % to 50 % primary energy savings in the demo sites, and to increase by at least 30 % the share of renewables in the district’s energy mix.

Since 2005, the Italian city of Bolzano (100 000 inhabitants) has developed an ambitious investment plan for large-scale urban refurbishment in collaboration with both public and private stakeholders. The work undertaken in the SINFONIA project is part of this plan, and aims to achieve 40 % to 50 % primary energy savings in the demo sites, and to increase the share of renewables in the district of Bolzano SW (south-west) by 20 %.

Sweden’s capital city, Stockholm, has been working on climate change mitigation and adaptation since the 1990s. The city is a real frontrunner with well implemented climate action plans and pioneering policies to ensure it meets its ambitious environmental targets. The carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by 25 % per citizen since 1990.

Situated on the banks of the River Rhine, Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany and home to key players in business and industry. The city is committed to the EU’s goal of achieving a 20 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20 % increase in the share of renewable energy and a 20 % increase in energy efficiency by 2020 based on 1990 levels. It aims to reduce CO2 even further, with a 50 % reduction by 2030.

Voted European Capital of Innovation 2014, Barcelona is a vast metropolitan hub with a long tradition of industry and entrepreneurship. Barcelona City Council encourages strategic initiatives aimed at generating international collaboration, and promoting a global and forward-looking vision to businesses and public bodies, as well as scientific and technological centres.

Eindhoven is the centre of the Brainport Region, one of today’s three top economic engines of the Netherlands, delivering about 14 % of the national gross domestic product (GDP). Two districts - Strijp-S and Eckhart Vaartbroek - will be transformed into sustainable living environments as part of TRIANGULUM.

The Stavanger region is regarded as one of the most innovative regions in Norway. For 10 consecutive years it has been appointed The Best Business Region in Norway (NHO) and is renowned for its close triple helix cooperation among businesses, academia and the public sector. The region aims at becoming one of Europe’s foremost sustainable cities by integrating ICT, energy and mobility.In the Stavanger area, one district in particular – Paradis/Hillevåg – will be transformed into a living lab as part of the TRIANGULUM project.

The City of Manchester is one of 10 local authorities that make up the Greater Manchester conurbation.  Manchester has a population of over 500,000 with one of the largest economies in the UK. The innovation district, ’Oxford Road Corridor Manchester’, has been the focus of Triangulum’s activities in the city – a 2 km long spine that contains two of the UK’s largest universities and one of the largest medical research campuses in Western Europe, it makes up 20% of the city’s economic output. It employs 71,700, with an estimated 7,000 new jobs by 2025.

Cities can make use of existing infrastructure to boost their energy efficiency. As a result of careful planning, the Swedish city of Eskilstuna became the first city to colour sort six different fractions of household waste in 2010. Optical sorting was seen as a cheap and flexible system and existing garbage trucks could be used to collect the waste from households. The overall goal was to increase the efficiency of sorting and to better utilize waste also in the waste processing unit.