The anthology „Climate protection at the municipal level – How climate action can be success in cities and municipalities” tries to give an overview of the present challenges and chances in the context of climate protection at the municipal level, presenting those with the help of specific best practice examples in 14 contributions of practical fields and applied sciences. Professor Bernd Hirschl has written a chapter in the section of “institutions and municipal governance”. In his article, he refers to big cities and uses the example of the city of Berlin to show what has to be done in order to achieve a successful energy transition. He identifies central areas of activity (for example energy supply, buildings, economy, transportation and private households) and shows, which roles those areas play in the urban energy transition. In conclusion, he presents the requirements that are needed for a successful institutionalization.