Sustainability

Healthy Urban Living is the central theme of the city and region. Utrecht’s sustainability and health care ambitions are exceptional. The city wants to be entirely energy-neutral by 2030 and is making solar energy mandatory for all new housing development. The inner city will soon only be accessible for electric cars and even the city buses will soon be electric. In a global Arcadis survey (2016), Utrecht received the highest score for ‘Planet’ and the highest overall score for ‘People-planet-profit’ out of all large cities in the Netherlands.

The largest knowledge institutes, educational institutes and specialised companies, focusing on sustainability and climate can be found in Utrecht. Such as Deltares, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), the National Institute for Publlic Health and the Environment (RIVM), Utrecht Sustainability Institute and Utrecht University. There are various hubs in the city that focus on innovative sustainability, such as Eneco Energy Campus, Jaarbeurs Innovation Mile, the Social Impact Factory and Utrecht Community (UCo).