Building decarbonisation in cities and regions

Implementing a place-based approach to decarbonise buildings is key to developing sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities and regions

What's the issue?

A net-zero carbon future cannot happen without decarbonising buildings, since buildings and the construction sector account for nearly 40% of energy-related global CO2 emissions. The OECD project “Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions” aims to identify best practices and challenges for both national and subnational governments in driving the decarbonisation of buildings. The project has started in 2021 with a multi-level governance framework to guide building policies, including energy efficient retrofits, installing high performance equipment and promoting renewable energy. Besides saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions, decarbonising buildings also brings multiple benefits such as reducing energy bills, improving health and creating green jobs. Using the framework as a foundation, the project provides more specific place-based analysis taking into account regional differences. The project can provide analysis of current bottlenecks in scaling up decarbonising measures and propose recommendations for both national and subnational policy makers.

Flyer

Publication

Synthesis report: Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions (2022)

Report
Launch event agenda (March 2022)

Case study report

Decarbonising homes in cities in the Netherlands: a neighbourhood approach

Report
Launch event agenda (April 2023)

OECD presentation and NPLW presentation

Blogs

Are our buildings costing the Earth? Protecting our pockets and the planet

How can cities power up energy efficiency in buildings?

What can the OECD offer?

The OECD Programme Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions supports local, regional and national governments to design urban policies that enhance the implementation of decarbonisation measures in the built environment through:

Data and analysis: collecting quantitative and qualitative data in cities on decarbonising buildings (energy efficiency, embodied carbon), building digitalisation (BIM, smart buildings) and related policy environments in order to conducts in-depth analysis;
Self-assessment: developing self-assessment tools to help policy makers to design appropriate policies and identifying opportunities and barriers in implementation;
Country-specific and city-specific case studies: providing peer-learning opportunities and targeted policy recommendations to support local and national efforts to develop place-based building decarbonisation policies.