Sustainable Dresden

Sustainable city of the future

Dresden has the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development firmly in sight, with a bundle of coordinated initiatives that are evaluated on an ongoing basis. As a FAIRTRADE CITY, Dresden promotes fair trade at a local level. In the "Local Agenda 21 for Dresden", more than 80 initiatives have pledged their commitment to sustainability. The German Federal Ministry of Research and Education is developing a holistic and sustainable vision for Dresden as a "City of the Future".

Sustainable urban development in Dresden

The Integrated Urban Development Concept Dresden 2025+ includes a large number of future projects that are oriented towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These include the "Edible City of Dresden", HeatResilient City, ESD model municipality, energy transition, SmartCity project, promotion of the creative industries, climate adaptation concept, transport development and mobility plan, and promotion of accessibility.

Dresden has joined the EU mission HORIZONT 30, which supports the development of 100 climate-neutral cities in Europe by 2030. The city aims to become a climate neutral city by 2030, emphasising cooperation with stakeholders and locals.

Furthermore, as part of the European Sustainable Cities, Dresden has signed the Basque Declaration for forward-looking, sustainable European cities.

Since 1992, Dresden has been a member of the ICLEI network, which also promotes sustainable developments in municipalities.

Dresden was designated a "Future City" by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Since 2015, the city has been working together with citizens and academia on ideas and projects for sustainable and innovative urban development.

Dresden as a role model for smart city solutions

Dresden has achieved an impressive 5th place in the nationwide Smart City Index 2024. This success is the result of dedicated initiatives such as the EU project "MAtchUP", in which DREWAG - Stadtwerke Dresden GmbH is active together with local partners. The city is a pioneer of viable solutions in crucial areas such as energy efficiency, digitalisation, decentralisation, renewable energies, multimodality and electromobility.

Particularly advantageous is Dresden's leading position as a European high-tech location that can fully utilise digital technologies for future-oriented urban development. Local players from research and business are playing a global pioneering role in smart city solutions, and Dresden experts are even already researching 6G at the 5G Lab Germany.

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Green tech innovation made in Dresden

70 research institutions, more than 270 companies ranging from start-ups to internationally active corporations - Dresden's players in the field of green technologies are a powerful cluster that has already produced numerous internationally acclaimed solutions.

Are you looking for the world's first mass producer of solar films? A Dresden-based company has launched a groundbreaking technology in 2021. By 2030, it should be possible to equip every building with organic thin-film solar solutions, enabling a 100 per cent green electricity supply.

Equally revolutionary is a mobile recycling plant developed in Dresden. It can convert plastic waste into synthetic crude oil and is already being used successfully in 27 countries with partners. Immerse yourself in the world of future makers and discover the innovative solutions from Dresden for a sustainable future.

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Tourism and culture in harmony with sustainability

The pilot project "Culture for Future" accompanied the implementation of individual sustainability strategies in Dresden's cultural enterprises. In addition, the "Dresden Charter for Sustainability in the Cultural Sector" was developed, to which cultural enterprises of all kinds can subscribe.

Sustainability is also integrated into the tourism strategy of the state capital Dresden in all relevant areas. The concrete implementation takes place within the framework of the sustainability strategy for Dresden Elbland, which includes over 50 measures for the entire destination and has been implemented since 2023.

Local and regional initiatives

Dresden was named a "City of the Future" by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Since 2015, the city has been working together with citizens and science on ideas and projects for sustainable and innovative urban development.

The "Edible City of Dresden" initiative promotes edible greenery, community gardens and participatory self-sufficiency in public spaces, encouraging a more environmentally conscious lifestyle.

The action "Bio-Regio Model Region Dresden - Lausitz" brings together actors from the fields of agriculture, food and regional development to implement tailor-made concepts for regional value creation and strengthen regional value chains.