City of Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway and the country’s largest city with approx.  720,000 inhabitants. The City of Oslo has ambitious targets for reducing emissions from all sectors and is an EU Mission city for climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. The newly adopted municipal plan has clear targets to make Oslo a green, innovative, inclusive and efficient city that offers equal opportunities for all. Located between the Fjord and the protected Marka forest, the city’s geographic boundaries limit urban expansion outwards. Instead, Oslo is developing from within by increasing density in existing urban centres and creating new hubs.

In the face of rapid development, Oslo has prioritised access to clean air, clean water and green areas by means of sustainable planning such as creating new recreational areas through reopening waterways that were converted as the city grew. This enables the city to better manage storm water in the wake of more frequent and heavier rainfall, but it also provides people with new green areas and plants and animals with new habitats. With space as a limiting factor, the city also seeks new ideas for urban farming.

With mobility as one of the main sources of emissions, walking, cycling and use of public transport shall be the preferred ways of moving. A wide network of bike paths is established and new modes for shared mobility are introduced.

The municipal plan for circular economy aims to reduce the use of natural resources to a sustainable level and has three focus areas: Strengthen circularity in Consumption and retail trade; circular solutions in the buildings and construction sector; as well as recycling of resources from waste and wastewater.

Oslo can serve as a test bed for a wide range of projects, and has wide experience in cooperating with academia, network organisations and businesses to develop new smart solutions for society.

The city’s commitment to ensure a sustainable and climate-neutral urban development and the preservation of its blue-green character gave Oslo the title as European Green Capital 2019.