Proposal for a directive on commission adoption
Augsburg, a city in southern Germany, is making significant strides towards sustainable development. The city council has been reviewing resolutions since 2017 using a "Sustainability Assessment" based on the Future Guidelines for Augsburg, a comprehensive set of guidelines that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The current version of the Future Guidelines, last updated in November 2021, is divided into four dimensions: Ecological Future Viability, Social Future Viability, Economic Future Viability, and an undefined dimension.
The Ecological Future Viability dimension aims to protect the climate, enable ecological mobility, improve energy and material efficiency, preserve natural living conditions, and promote biological diversity. The Social Future Viability dimension, on the other hand, focuses on enabling a healthy life, live holistic education, live safely, enable participation in society, and create social balance. The Economic Future Viability dimension emphasizes strengthening the location, connecting living and working, economy oriented towards the common good, sustainably generating and using finances, and sustainably developing and designing areas and buildings.
The Future Guidelines for Augsburg outline 78 goals for sustainable development, covering various aspects of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. For instance, the Environmental Sustainability goals include the expansion of photovoltaic systems on campus buildings to promote renewable energy use and reduce carbon emissions. The Social Sustainability goals encompass initiatives for good working conditions, diversity, and societal responsibility. The Economic Sustainability goals focus on innovation and research that supports sustainable economic growth, such as advancing AI research for manufacturing to enhance regional economic resilience and sustainability.
The implementation of the Future Guidelines involves civil society, the economy, city politics, and city administration. In 2022, the Augsburger Zukunftsbox, an analog-digital future vision game, was developed for Augsburger schools and other educational institutions to facilitate learning about the Future Guidelines. The Augsburger Zukunftsbox homepage can be found at https://www.zukunftsbox.unser website.de/.
The Future Guidelines for Augsburg serve as the basis for the sustainable development of the city. The third Augsburg Sustainability Report, focusing on the Future Guidelines, was published in 2025. Everything about the Future Guidelines can be found on www.nachhaltigkeit.unser website.de.
These efforts reflect a commitment to embedding sustainability strategically in institutional and urban development, aiming for long-term carbon neutrality, responsible resource management, and societal engagement consistent with the SDGs. The city of Augsburg is undoubtedly setting an example for sustainable cities of the future.
