The sustainability of urban surfaces can be enhanced by introducing innovations. An ex-ante assessment of the potential sustainability impacts of innovations in urban areas can provide decision-makers with valuable recommendations for their selection before implementation. This knowledge helps to make the innovation more future-proof. Although a first methodological approach for such an assessment is available, there is no readily applicable set of indicators. Hence, this article proposes a holistic sustainability impact assessment method tailored to the management of urban surfaces and their innovations. For the development of the method, a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-based, top-down approach is adopted. The proposed assessment method makes it possible to identify an innovation’s potential contribution to the achievement of the SDGs before its introduction. In this article, the assessment method is tested by evaluating the sustainability impacts of weed-suppressing joint filling sand on a walkway in a municipal cemetery in Southern Germany. The case study shows that a mixed impact of the innovation in the three dimensions of sustainability could be expected within the system boundary. It highlights the need for innovation optimization, mainly in the economic dimension. As a result, the introduced method can support the innovation process of urban surfaces for sustainable municipal development.

The physical design of urban surfaces determines the management processes that are required to ensure that their intended functions are fulfilled within a set period of time and influences their linked material flows. Those flows are causing numerous environmental, economic, and social impacts. In the field of urban surfaces, there is a broad variety of innovations available that has the potential to contribute to a more sustainable environment and quality of life in cities. However, before implementing any kind of innovation, it is important to quantitatively and qualitatively assess its sustainability impacts in a holistic manner. While current assessment methods provide a suitable framework for the sustainability assessment of products and services, without modification, they cannot be applied to urban surfaces and related management processes. The herein introduced methodological approach is designed to overcome this problem by not only being tailored to the sustainability assessment of innovations in the field of urban surfaces but also by combining life cycle thinking with a holistic approach. By integrating SDGs, it will provide insight into the possible impacts of an innovation in all three dimensions of sustainability at the municipal level. This knowledge can be used to support the municipality in its decision on the design of urban surfaces and management processes by showing whether or not it is advisable to implement an innovation from a sustainability point of view. The focus of this publication is on the development of a general life cycle of urban surfaces and its interaction with product innovations.

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The current European building stock offers high potential for implementing renewable energy systems to be able to reduce the use of fossil energy for building services. In practice, solar thermal or photovoltaic systems are often favoured for new residential buildings all over Europe. But also non-residential buildings should be taken into account for applying such systems to exploit the whole potential. Within the EU project "Cost-Effective" five energy generating facade components are being developed to supply existing high-rise buildings, for non-residential use, with thermal energy or electricity, which is produced from renewable sources. Apart from showing the potential of a reduced use of fossil energy for building services, the project aims also at setting up cost-effective and environmentally beneficial solutions for the integration of the components. In a first step, building categories (e.g. high-rise buildings constructed before 1945), which are potentially of high interest for applying the new developed components, have been identified. In a second step technical concepts have been set up, which combine retrofit measures for improving the building skin on the one side and the suitable usage and the integration of the new developed components within the building on the other side. Furthermore, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the new components is carried out, including the environmental assessment of their whole life cycle. As the components are expected to have a significant influence on the environmental performance of the building, especially within the operation phase, the assessment focuses on the energy production of the component e.g. for heating, cooling and ventilation purposes. The paper presents the basic principles for conducting the LCA of the newly developed components, taking into account the whole component life cycle and the component's environmental influence within the use phase of a building