Funding guidelines on greening facades - Chemnitz

The funding guideline of the City of Chemnitz in Germany (Förderrichtlinie der Stadt Chemnitz für die Gewährung einer Zuwendung zur Fassadenbegrünung) is a financial instrument which subsidizes facade greening. The funding guideline, which ran from 2021-2022, fostered the installation of green facades in the urban area of Chemnitz via grants. The amount of the grants depends on the location of the new green facade and varies to cover between 50 - 75 % of the total costs, but not more than respective 2.500 € or 5.000 €. Private individuals and businesses can apply for funding. This funding guideline fits in the wider framework of the Masterplan on Urban Nature.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Economic and fiscal instruments›Payments as rewards/for ecosystem services, subsidies, incentives

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Air quality
Noise
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The financial instrument supports the installation of green facades in Chemnitz as a means to a greener and - in the summer - cooler city. Further objectives include an increased quality of life for the citizens -through the noise and fine particels filtration capability of the vegetation- and a reduction of the negative effects of the climate change.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Policy business case

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Chemnitz, Office of Urban Development, Department of Urban Renewal and Grant Coordination

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The instrument was designed by the City of Chemnitz in a horizontal collaboration within different departments in the Urban Planning Department. The initiation of the funding guideline utilised a window of opportunity in which four greening statutes were being designed in Chemnitz for the wider framework of the upcoming Masterplan in Urban Nature.

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Citizens in Chemnitz play the central role when it comes to applying for and implementing the subsidies for new green facades. In order to qualify for the grant, citizens are required to submit their applications for the funding scheme. In a next step they are responsible to implement the green facade and to maintain / secure it at least for 8 years (earmarking period).

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Citizen monitoring and review

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Budget:

Less than 50 000 €

Details about instrument financing:

The instrument is completely financed by the City of Chemnitz. The funds are available from the begining of 2021 until the end of 2022. After this period, it will be decided if the funding scheme will be further supported for upcoming years.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The instrument was adopted in late September 2021 by the Chemnitz City Council. Until August 2022, only one application had been handed in. The applicant also received the promised funding - as outlined in the guideline - and started with the implementation of the green facade. This facade nows tackles the outlined challenges and stands for a "where to go in the future" example for Chemnitz.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The initiation and implementation of the instrument utilised on a window of opportunity when the four greening statutes were being designed in Chemnitz. Unfortunately, the greening statute upon which the funding guideline wanted to build did not pass the City Council. Because of this, the funding guideline did not receive the number of applications that the City was hoping for. There was one application which was granted, showing the need to inform the citizens more about the benefits of green facades, especially since the interest for external building greens in Chemnitz is not very high.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Schubert, City of Chemnitz. (2021) Fassadenbegrünung. Available at: https://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/unsere-stadt/stadtentwicklung/fassadengruen/index.html

Interview(s):

City of Chemnitz, Urban Planning Office, Department for Urban Renewal and Coordination of Subsidies

Photos

@pixabay