Rotterdam

Netherlands

Mission city Pilot city
Netherlands National Platform
Rotterdam Mission City Label
Population 660k
City Area 71.2 km²
City active since June 2022

Rotterdam is a city with 600.000 inhabitants. That’s makes us the second largest city in the Netherlands. It is a multi-cultural city with inhabitants from 172 different nationalities. On average we also have the poorest inhabitants compared to the other big cities, which makes an inclusive and affordable energy transition for us of the utmost importance.

 

Within our municipal boundaries is located the Port of Rotterdam, the biggest port in Europe. The industry and energy sector located there is responsible for roughly 20% of the national CO2- emissions and 80% of the Rotterdam emissions (both scope 1). If we also take in consideration the vast amount goods produced there or passing through, the port plays a large role in emissions produced elsewhere. 13% of all energy consumed in Europe passes through the port and indirect emissions (scope3) amount to almost 3,5 times of the total emissions of the Netherlands.

 

The transformation of the port towards a clean energy and sustainable resource hub is therefore of strategic importance for the future of our city, the Netherlands and Europe as a whole. Rotterdam is a dense urban area with a negligible amount of farming land. This has several consequences. First, there are but a few areas where large scale wind- or solar farms can be developed. This makes us almost completely dependent, currently and in the future, of the development of sustainable electricity sources beyond our city borders. Next, while there is potential for the development and utilising of local heat sources, for a large part we are dependent on residual heat from industrial processes in the Port of Rotterdam. Emphasizing the strategic importance of this transition for the city area. Third, the extra space required for the energy transition, because of all the extra assets required, causes many issues with other challenges which also demand space, like greening the city, housing, etc.

Key Learnings

Twinning Replication Booklet

Overview of Replications Plans submitted by Twin cities (Cohort 1, 2023-2025) The first cohort of the Twinning Learning Programme (Sept 2023 – May 2025) paired 56 Pilot Cities implementing 25 innovative climate-neutral activities with 37 Twin cities eager to replicate their approaches. Over nearly two years,cities engaged in a structured programme of online workshops, in-person visits, and facilitated exchanges, enabling Twin cities to closely follow pilot implementation and translate insights into Replication Plans tailored to their own contexts. The programme demonstrated that well-designed peer learning, anchored in real pilot projects, creates tangible outcomes. Twin cities developed Replication Plans across diverse areas such as sustainable mobility, energy decarbonisation, circular economy, and citizen engagement, while also contributing fresh perspectives that strengthened Pilot city efforts. The result is Europe’s largest peer-learning initiative under the Cities Mission, with 37 Replication Plans now paving the way toward climate neutrality across a broad range of local contexts.

Presentation: How Just Are Urban Sustainability Transition Plans? 

What is Spatial Justice? Why it matters to sustainability transitions? Why evaluate it? This presentation covers: Methodology (Urban sustainability transition plans; Thematic analysis: VSOA method ; Qualitative analysis: Spatial Justice scoring) Results (Analysis of plans from Belfast, Budapest, Granollers and Rotterdam; Few highlights and comparisons) Conclusion & Limitations 
View all Rotterdam Resources

Latest updates from the city

Pilot project spotlight
Read Rotterdam Climate City Contract Tallinn City Profile (Twin City)

External projects

City involvement in related European initiatives