Net Zero City : A City for Green Hydrogen in Namibia : IESL - Master Studio Summer Term 2023

Europe has pledged to take the lead in climate protection. Germany has also set ambitious targets to meet this commitment, aiming to be carbon neutral by 2045. For the foreseeable future, however, there will not be enough renewable energy generation and storage capacity to meet domestic demand. Therefore, additional alternative energy sources from abroad will have to be used. Green hydrogen is a promising option for importing renewable energy. For this reason, large-scale green hydrogen projects are being initiated in several countries. One of these projects, which has received much media attention, is located in the south of Namibia, in the hinterland of the port city of Lüderitz, a windy and sunny region that offers favourable climatic conditions for producing renewable energy.

Within a few years, the project is expected to create up to 3,000 jobs in Lüderitz and increase the population by around half. The dynamic growth of the town, combined with the ambitious goals of the overall project, is an opportunity to develop the expansion of Lüderitz as a model carbon-neutral town.

This documentation of the urban design master studio in 2023 summarises innovative concepts for a Net Zero City, combining a diverse mix of uses and sustainable urban development. ... mehrIn "what if?"-scenarios, these projects demonstrate the qualities that carbon-neutral urban expansions can offer and the potential synergies that could be realised in interaction with existing urban structures.