ThE INITIATIVE

What is Urban Zero?

The Urban Zero initiative marks the world's first attempt to transform an urban district, Duisburg-Ruhrort, within a few years (by 2029) into a state that has no negative impact on the biosphere. Environmental neutrality goes far beyond climate neutrality and, in addition to climate protection, also includes issues such as safeguarding biodiversity and protecting soil and water. The aim is to act in balance with the environment and thus not only positively change the environmental balance of the municipality, but also improve the lives of local citizens.

The initiative should not only benefit the environment, but also improve the lives of local residents - with more green spaces, sustainable services, green energy solutions and intelligent mobility concepts. To ensure that the solutions are tailored to the people of Ruhrort, they are developed and implemented jointly.


Urban Zero takes into account innovative approaches to participation and cooperation with high-quality, accompanying scientific research. This is the key to success: the project can only succeed together and if social, ecological and economic aspects are considered together.

“The initiative will be successful because we consider social, economic and ecological aspects equally and harmonize multidimensional aspects. With our holistic approach, which is particularly based on participation, we want to realize hundreds of individual projects over the next few years and thus serve numerous fields of innovation.” - Dirk C. Gratzel, CEO GREENZERO.

The project aims to create a globally unique role model within an environmentally neutral district in a changing industrial area. If the project succeeds, it will serve as an international role model for the fundamental transformation process of urban spaces and point the way to sustainable urbanity.