City of Aalborg

At the first European conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns in 1994 the Aalborg Charter was launched. With almost 3000 cities signing the Charter, it has been the single most successful European effort in sustainable urban development. In 2004 it was followed by the current Aalborg Commitments which intends to be a strong, local action-oriented tool. Today 600 cities across Europe have signed the Aalborg Commitments, including capitals as Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Brussels and Madrid.

The Aalborg Commitments are designed to strengthen ongoing local sustainability efforts and have two main objectives:

• They aim to raise awareness and highlight the need for local governments across Europe to act in an integrated way to meet the growing challenges of sustainability.
• The Aalborg Commitments are designed as a practical and flexible tool for local action and achievements.

By signing the Aalborg Charter in 1994 and the Aalborg Commitments in 2004, Aalborg City Council has laid down the political framework for sustainable development in the municipality. The documents constitutes the backbone of all municipal planning for sustainable development with regard to climate, traffic, nature protection, urban development, waste management etc.