A first-of-its-kind digital tool for measuring the environmental footprint of entire city districts launches today. Developed by EFFEKT and Artelia in collaboration with Frederiksberg Kommune, Urban LCA allows planners and developers to factor both CO₂ emissions and biodiversity loss into the earliest stages of urban design.

Unlike traditional life cycle assessment tools—which typically focus on single buildings and arrive late in the process—Urban LCA takes a holistic view from the outset. It measures the impact of the full urban fabric: buildings, landscapes, mobility systems, and utilities. The result is a data-driven way to align projects with municipal climate and biodiversity goals before a shovel hits the ground.

Planners can use the tool to integrate environmental targets into tenders, briefs, and planning documents, while developers can test different scenarios based on early square meter estimates to guide both design and business model decisions. With regulatory pressure mounting from the EU Taxonomy and CSRD, Urban LCA also provides a framework for monitoring and documenting compliance on carbon and biodiversity performance throughout a project’s life cycle.

Built as a scenario-based tool, Urban LCA is designed to work alongside science-based allocation frameworks such as the Reduction Roadmap to ensure alignment with the Paris Agreement. The initiative is part of Plan22+, a five-year programme from the Plan- og Landdistriktsstyrelsen and the philanthropic association Realdania, aimed at helping municipalities meet climate goals through physical planning.

The tool, final report, and underlying data are open resources available here. The team invites planners, municipalities, and developers to use the tool, collaborate, and contribute to its future development.

Learn more about the project here.