Accelerating net zero delivery - What can UK cities learn from around

2 Centre for Cities • Accelerating net zero delivery • September 2024 01 The UK’s cities matter for delivering net zero The UK has adopted the target of reaching clean power by 20301 and net zero by 2050.2,3 Despite the UK making progress on the latter in the last two decades, the latest Climate Change Committee progress report finds that the UK is off track, particularly when it comes to emission. [...] Retrofitting The UK has the oldest, and one of the least energy-efficient housing stocks in Europe and this existing housing will still account for more than 80 per cent of UK housing stock in 2050.22 And the UK is still reliant on fossil fuels for nearly 90 per cent of domestic heating.23 Retrofitting houses to make them more energy efficient and compatible with low and zero- carbon heating techn. [...] They currently supply just over 2 per cent of the heat but the Climate Change Committee estimates this could be 20 per cent by 2050.63 The technology is proven, as shown by longstanding networks in countries like the Netherlands and Sweden (see Case Study 3), but the cost of brand-new infrastructure and need to compete with the established gas supplier hinders development in the UK. [...] Lille used a range of policies covering both planning and public transport improvements to increase density during the construction of Lille-Europe Station and the renovation of Lille- Flandres, and in the suburban area of Armentieres. [...] The combination of political leadership, a range of policies and cooperation across levels of government has achieved significant change in the city: overall, Paris has experienced a marked decline in car traffic, which fell by 50 per cent between 2002 and 2022.111 Parisians are now more likely to walk, cycle, or public transport to move around the city, and between 2018 and 2022, the use of the c.