ABSTRACT
The Climate Contract envisioned the Hyllie city district as a role model for climate-smart cities. The Swedish City of Malmö signed this vision in 2011 with Eon, a multinational energy company. Eon successfully demonstrated urban smart grids, but Hyllie failed to generate sufficient renewable electricity to become climate neutral. Did Malmö succumb to a corporate takeover? The failure was not due to Eon, but rather conflicts within the city government and with neighbors of a proposed wind turbine. Ambitious visions might help to build coalitions for climate-smart cities, but city governments have little to contribute when visions run into trouble.
