Sustainability policy in Lausanne: why adopt the « Urban Donut » approach?
Posted on Jul 20, 2023Author(s)
Aïcha Besser
Communications Manager
CLIMACT
Expert(s)
Dr. Mohamed Srir
FGSE, UNIL
The municipality of Lausanne is committed to sustainability policies to reduce carbon emissions by 2035 and 2050 through mitigation and adaptation measures. However, the implementation of these actions depends on governance and coordination. The aim is to create a greener and more socially equitable future for Lausanne and its inhabitants.
The project discussed in this article aims to analyze the processes involved in implementing the Climate Plan. By developing a system of indicators based on the concept of "living well within limits", it is possible to better understand the links between ecological systems and social development, taking into account the city's specific urban characteristics. This assessment will help decision-makers consider a holistic vision of prosperity in a safe and just space, in alignment with the priorities of the Donut Theory.
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What is the « Urban Donut » concept?
Mohamed Srir: The donut theory, developed by K. Raworth (2018), defines a sustainability framework that combines the concept of planetary limits with the notion of social foundation. This framework represents a safe and just space where resource use is high enough to meet people's basic needs (inner circle), but not so high as to transgress planetary limits (outer circle).
Eight planetary limits (updated by Rockström et al., 2023) constituting the ecological ceiling of the donut are identified: climate, the functional integrity of ecosystems (e.g. "biodiversity"), the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorus cycle, fresh groundwater, fresh surface water, the surface area occupied by natural ecosystems (e.g. "land use change"), aerosols (e.g. "atmospheric pollution"). There are thresholds of pressure which these vital systems can withstand, and which humanity should not exceed in order to preserve the balance of the biosphere and the favorable conditions for life.
The social foundation that aligns with the United Nations' Social Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defines the minimum level of basic needs to which every human being is entitled. K. Raworth identifies 11: energy, water, health, education, income, peace and justice, political voice, social equity, gender equality, housing and networks.
The idea of the donut is to bring the impacts of human activities within that ecologically safe and socially just space in which humanity can flourish without compromising the carrying capacities of natural ecosystems.
What specific urban planning initiatives have been implemented in Lausanne as part of the « Urban Donut » concept?
Mohamed Srir: Lausanne has a very ambitious climate vision, and its Climate Plan has been drawn up around this central objective of reducing direct carbon emissions to zero by 2050, while at the same time displaying the slogan of a city of 100% solidarity. This vision is broken down into four priority objectives:
- For mobility, the city plans to ban combustion-powered vehicles from Lausanne by 2030.
- For heat, the development of CAD district heating should cover 75% of households with 100% renewable energy by 2050.
- For buildings, a rate of 3.3%/year has been set for the renovation of the building stock to be undertaken over the next 30 years, which would enable a 60% reduction in building emissions in the long term.
- At the same time, the city has defined a canopy objective that aims to increase the leaf area by 50% by 2040.
What are the challenges?
Mohamed Srir: While the City of Lausanne's objective is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the challenge of getting there lies in the operational details of this strategy.
Implementing the measures set out in the Climate Plan requires joint progress on both aspects of the binomials: decarbonation/solidarity, mitigation/adaptation and local/global.
Indeed, it is important to take into account the socio-economic impacts that may result from measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors, and particularly in building renovation, which may lead to an increase in rents. In terms of the approach to transformation, mitigation goes hand in hand with adaptation, since the former aims to balance the carbon balance over the long term, while the latter enables action to be taken, here and now, on the urban impacts of climate change.
This approach must also combine responses to issues affecting Lausanne with those at regional and global levels. One way of giving concrete expression to this vision is to look at the "city donut" perspective, which can help us to better grasp these issues in the context of transition as a response to global change.
How does Lausanne fit into this process?
Mohamed Srir: The current situation in Lausanne shows a fairly low level of effectiveness of the main objectives announced. These are progressing at a rate below that required to comply with the Paris Agreement (not exceeding +1.5° C). Even though the Climate Plan is fairly recent (coming into force in January 2021), the city's accumulated experience in terms of sustainability approaches imposes a certain responsibility on it, also in view of its triple status as a major Swiss city, the capital of Vaud and a green city.
Total emissions from the city's activities are of the order of 14 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per inhabitant, which far exceeds scientific norms. The three main sources of emissions are consumption, which accounts for over half of all emissions, followed by transport and buildings.
What can be done at local level?
Challenges that are a priori ecological in nature also focus on social issues and therefore call for a more holistic vision of the problems.
This calls for a systemic, participatory approach in the search for solutions that are no longer purely technical, but more closely linked to consumption and production patterns, as well as changes in behavior.
Finally, the realization of such a vision remains dependent on the framework conditions necessary to exploit existing potential, which public policies must, in a coherent approach, put in place in collaboration with all sectors of the city. It would therefore be a matter of developing the many levers of action available to the city.
Do you have any examples?
Mohamed Srir: Here are a few examples:
- The climate strategy adopted by the municipality expresses, in the continuity of sustainability approaches, a strong political will to lead an ecological transition. However, it would benefit from a more collaborative, evolutionary and evaluative framework.
- The Climate Plan defines mitigation and adaptation measures for all areas of the city, which should be spatialized and cross-referenced with social measures.
- Lausanne has a local structure dedicated to promoting renewable energies (SIREN in collaboration with the city's SIL industrial services), which should increase energy production and diversify investments and collaborations to improve plant efficiency.
- Public transport and active mobility are on the increase, but thermal vehicle traffic remains high.
- The city is working on a project to extend the district heating network, which presents the challenge of decarbonizing it.
- The different configurations of urban spaces offer different potential for increasing leaf area, requiring greater public investment and incentives.
How does the « Urban Donut » concept contribute to creating a more sustainable and liveable urban environment in Lausanne specifically?
Mohamed Srir: The donut offers a global perspective on what sustainability means for the city and its inhabitants. It invites us to consider the dynamics underlying the intersection of environmental and social issues, and in this way aims to open up discussions on possible avenues of transformation. Its global approach calls for reflection on the impact of city activities beyond local boundaries. Applied to the city, the urban donut thus enables us to explore and embrace the vision of a prosperous city while acknowledging its global responsibility.
Why should Lausanne adopt this type of model?
Mohamed Srir: It's twofold:
- Refocus climate policy objectives on issues of ecological transition and social fulfillment within a vision of global responsibility. This would allow us to engage residents in the debate and to involve them in defining the specific objectives of what it would mean for the city to realize its local aspirations, while respecting the expectations and needs of the planet's other inhabitants and its health. The donut is a decision-making tool. It provides a general overview of the situation in terms of over- and under-achievement, and enables stakeholders to be involved around the targets that concern them and require their commitment.
- Consider a holistic, cross-sectoral approach to city-wide decision-making. The aim is to create a framework for monitoring progress and developing the resulting policies for action. The donut's indicators, combined with their scientific targets, can be used, on the one hand, to guide the policies envisaged in each of the city's climate objectives, and to reflect on the possible implications of initiatives and anticipate impacts on the other.
About the author:
Mohamed Srir is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability at the University of Lausanne.
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