The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety is endeavouring to develop an integrated sustainability policy. The aim was to improve the networking of previously under-coordinated subject areas and their stakeholders within and outside the ministry, to recognise synergy potential and to eliminate conflicts of objectives. A professionally conducted scenario process was intended to advance this development. The topic "Sustainable City 2030" was chosen as the thematic focus, as the integrated sustainability policy must be coherently reflected in the perspectives of citizens and consumers, employees and transport users, etc. The IZT carried out the scenario process together with two research partners.

On behalf of the Federal Environment Agency, this project (financed with federal funds as part of the Environmental Research Plan, FKZ 3709 11 155) supported the current differentiation and further development of an integrated sustainability policy. The design of sustainable urban living environments was chosen as the thematic focus, as the integrated sustainability policy must be consistently reflected in the living environment perspective of citizens, consumers, employees, transport users, etc.
In order to strengthen an effective integrated sustainability policy, relevant subject areas and their actors within the German environmental department and beyond were analysed with regard to further networking and synergy potentials. For this purpose, as well as to recognise and resolve possible conflicts of objectives, an empirically supported and systematic scenario process was used to design sustainable urban living environments.

The foundations were first laid in an empirical and planning phase: A literature study as well as discussions with stakeholders and workshops were used to identify the relevant topics and strategic fields and to analyse them for conflicting goals and potential for cooperation. Actors, interests and underlying future expectations were analysed for the project task.

In phase 2, a systematic, participatory scenario process was developed in parallel on this basis in two complementary, jointly selected thematic strands. Integrated visions of the future were developed, options for action, strategic elements and concrete networking approaches were derived and concretised in the direction of operational implementation and practical cooperation. Finally, the two parallel thematic strands were brought together and further networked.