Vinnytsia: Local Innovation for Ukraine’s Green Transition

Vinnytsia, a mid-sized city in central Ukraine, is a national frontrunner in climate governance. Through its Municipal Green Deal (2022) and the long-term Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), the city has institutionalized climate action across all departments. With initiatives in renewable energy, sustainable mobility, and data-driven governance, Vinnytsia demonstrates how municipal leadership and local innovation can drive systemic change toward climate neutrality by 2050.

The Vinnytsia Green Deal Roadmap (2022–2050) aligns climate, spatial, and infrastructure strategies through a participatory and data-driven approach. The city has successfully integrated its SECAP, mobility plan, and spatial strategy under a single governance framework to ensure consistency across departments and projects.

• Integrated Planning: The municipality unified climate, mobility, and urban development plans, ensuring that all major infrastructure projects align with Green Deal targets and emission-reduction pathways.
   
• Infrastructure Modernization: With support from GIZ and NEFCO, Vinnytsia modernised its heating, water, and wastewater systems, reducing losses and improving service efficiency while building institutional capacity for maintenance and energy management.
   
• Renewable Expansion and Incentives: Beyond municipal installations on hospitals, schools, and the tram depot, the city launched a renewable-energy co-financing program that mobilised private investment in solar generation. Through this initiative, the Vinnytsia City Council allocated UAH 16.1 million from the municipal budget to reimburse part of the installation costs for local businesses investing in PV systems. This program directly supported 35 projects, contributing to the city’s total 17.2 MW of installed solar capacity and establishing a replicable model for local incentive-based energy transitions.
   
• Sustainable Mobility: In partnership with Karlsruhe (Germany), the city redesigned its central districts to prioritise public transport, expand bicycle infrastructure, and reduce emissions from private vehicles.
   
• Institutional Coordination: The Agency for Spatial Development and the City Institute for Urban Development coordinate data management, donor engagement, and project monitoring to ensure coherence and transparency in implementation.
   
• Ecosystem Restoration: The Small Rivers Development Concept 2035 provides the framework for restoring the Southern Buh River and its tributaries, creating blue-green corridors that enhance biodiversity and climate resilience.

Together, these measures have positioned Vinnytsia as a model of climate-integrated governance, where public policy, technical innovation, and civic engagement converge to deliver long-term environmental and social benefits.

Strategic partnerships provide technical capacity, co-financing, and knowledge exchange:

• GIZ & NEFCO: Support modernization of heating, energy, and water systems.
• IRF: Finances the Green Deal evaluation and public engagement programs.
• EEA & CIVITAS: Provide policy guidance and international benchmarking.
• Karlsruhe & Münster (Germany): Collaborate on public transport planning and clean energy solutions.
• Lublin & Kielce (Poland): Exchange practices on mobility and participatory budgeting.
• Peterborough (UK) & Nancy (France): Support environmental education and local innovation.

Vinnytsia treats citizen engagement as a driver of climate action, not an afterthought.

• The “Misto Zmistiv” civic hub links residents, business, and government in joint projects.
• Regular public consultations and hearings ensure local ownership of energy and mobility initiatives.
• Climate education programs in schools and universities promote awareness and youth involvement.
• The UNICEF Child Friendly Cities program funds children’s climate ideas, creating early civic engagement.
• The city’s Green Deal communication plan (2023–2026) includes local campaigns on energy efficiency and green transport.

Vinnytsia’s funding model combines municipal co-financing and international investment:

• UAH 16.1 million (€400,000) in municipal subsidies for renewable projects.
• GIZ and NEFCO loans and grants for energy and infrastructure modernization.
• CIVITAS and EEA funds for mobility and governance improvements.
• IRF technical support for monitoring and evaluation.
• A planned Green Deal Fund (2026) will scale co-financing for private-sector green projects.

Vinnytsia’s integrated approach has produced measurable environmental, social, and institutional gains:

• 25% reduction in municipal energy consumption since 2015.
• 10% renewable share in total city energy balance (up from 2% in 2018).
• 35% increase in citizen satisfaction with municipal services (2023 survey).
• 100% LED street lighting coverage expected by 2025, cutting emissions by 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• 50+ projects coordinated under the Green Deal framework, improving cross-departmental efficiency.
• Blue-green corridors and restored riverfronts enhance local biodiversity and flood resilience.
• Energy-efficient mobility system: battery-powered trolleybuses now connect four peripheral settlements to the city.

• Data gaps limit environmental monitoring and emissions tracking.
• Shortage of specialized staff in sustainability and energy management.
• Currency risks and restricted fiscal capacity challenge project scaling.
• Low climate literacy among residents remains a communication barrier.

Vinnytsia demonstrates that even under national crisis, local governance can anchor climate neutrality through integrated policy, civic participation, and institutional innovation.

Replicable lessons:

• Merge spatial, mobility, and climate strategies into one governance structure.
• Use modest municipal incentives to catalyze large-scale private renewable investments.
• Build institutional platforms for data, donor coordination, and public dialogue.
• Leverage twinning partnerships for expertise and long-term cooperation.

By embedding climate priorities into governance, Vinnytsia has not only reduced emissions but also built citizen trust and global visibility, emerging as a benchmark for green municipal transformation in Eastern Europe.

• European Energy Award
• CIVITAS Bold Measure Award 2019

Vinnytsia City Council – Department of Energy and Sustainable Development
info@vmr.gov.ua
www.vmr.gov.ua