ABSTRACT
Today, attempts are made to develop sustainable urban areas that utilize only renewable energies and thus contribute efficiently to the reduction of greenhouse gases. The example of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, presented in Chapter 13, is an example par excellence, ready to cope with all environmental challenges. However, Masdar City also still reads as a mirage – a single showcase of the possible – while countries must also urgently cope with the primary challenge: the introduction of renewable energies in existing cities. These cities have developed over many centuries and where founded at times when climate protection was not an issue. Paris, London and Berlin cannot simply be rebuilt. Instead, smart changes in existing cities have to be introduced, utilizing existing buildings and infrastructure and respecting historic building substance. This task appears to be the real challenge, especially since it has to be achieved in a participatory way, allowing citizens to take part in and to profit from it.
