The guideline "More sustainability through coupled infrastructures" presents a comprehensive approach on how municipalities can make their infrastructure systems more sustainable through innovative sector coupling. It emphasizes the role of new technical possibilities and the need for a systemic perspective in order to fully exploit the potential of infrastructures and focus on long-term sustainability.

The project examined the effects, processes and support options for implementing innovative infrastructure coupling. Current developments, the associated transformation processes including supporting and hindering factors as well as potential sustainability effects of coupled infrastructure solutions were examined. The focus is on innovative, i.e. not established, couplings (understood as niche innovations) in the transport, energy, water, wastewater, waste management and information and communication technologies (ICT) sectors. The present volume provides a summary of the results, which are available in three sub-reports.

The project examined the effects, processes and support options for implementing innovative infrastructure coupling. The present volume examines local innovation processes in four case studies. Especially when it comes to innovations, there are no standard solutions. The technical systems must be embedded in supportive organisational structures, be economically feasible and implementable, function in a social context and encounter a enabling political and legal framework. Local actors, especially public utilities, are able to take the new, often uncertain paths, if the right framework conditions are in place.

The project examined the effects, processes and support options for implementing innovative infrastructure coupling. The present volume examines development paths, success factors and barriers as well as the contribution of infrastructure couplings to sustainability transformation and design options. Implementation processes are often complex, breaking new ground and requiring the cooperation of actors in completely new constellations and responsibilities. Whether sustainability transformation is successful on the local level depends on numerous factors that can also be shaped on local level in a systematic way. Innovations promote new structures, networks, new behaviour and knowledge.

The project examined the effects, processes and support options for implementing innovative infrastructure coupling.The present volume analyses the effects of innovative couplings on performance, resilience, resource efficiency, and social and economic compatibility. A "sustainability check" with 26 criteria was developed and tested in an expert survey. Coupling infrastructures does not automatically lead to greater sustainability, but coupled infrastructure systems have the potential to contribute to resource conservation and security of supply. This requires a differentiated consideration of the effects on sustainability.

The World Resources Forum 2017 entitled "Accelerating the Resource Revolution" was held in Geneva from 24 to 25 October 2017. Ecologic Institute's Mandy Hinzmann presented the TRAFIS project with a lecture on "Transforming infrastructures towards sustainability - lessons learnt from ICT-based peer-to-peer carsharing service Drivy in Germany". The presentation slides are available for download.

The TRAFIS project investigates the development of climate resilient and resource-conserving infrastructures through the lens of transition and action research. The project focuses primarily on interlinked infrastructures.