A new scientific publication on Open Research Europe brings together lessons from across Europe on how Positive Energy Districts can move from promising pilots to practical models for climate-neutral urban development. Co-developed by ASCEND and a wider group of European projects and researchers, the paper explores how district-level energy approaches are being designed, tested and implemented in cities working towards climate neutrality.
Titled Empowering cities through Positive Energy Districts: Strategies and implementations from PED projects of EU climate neutral and smart cities, the open-access review synthesises insights from 11 EU-funded projects working on Positive Energy Districts and Positive and Clean Energy Districts. Published in Open Research Europe in 2025, the article positions PEDs and PCEDs as a key district-scale approach for building more sustainable, smart and climate-neutral urban environments.
What makes the paper especially relevant is its broad view of what implementation actually requires. Rather than treating Positive Energy Districts as a purely technical challenge, the article shows that successful delivery depends on the interaction between policy frameworks, technological innovation, economic models, and the active role of social and local communities. In other words, district transformation does not happen through infrastructure alone. It happens when governance, finance, digital tools and people are aligned around a shared urban transition pathway.
The publication draws on project exchanges and expert discussions held during two major events in 2024: the MAKING-CITY final event in Groningen and the Sustainable Places 2024 conference in Luxembourg. From these discussions, the authors identify a set of recurring priorities across Europe’s PED and PCED landscape: stronger community engagement, better use of digitalisation and interoperability, more innovative financing approaches, and policy conditions that make replication easier. At the same time, the paper is clear that major challenges remain, particularly around regulation, scalability and the transfer of successful approaches from one urban context to another.
For ASCEND, this publication is an important contribution to the wider European conversation on how cities can accelerate the shift from isolated demonstration projects to scalable Positive Clean Energy Districts. The paper reinforces a core lesson that ASCEND continues to advance in practice: cities need integrated solutions that combine clean energy, urban planning, governance innovation, citizen engagement and bankable implementation models. Replication will not come from copying a single solution, but from building the right conditions for whole-district transformation.
By bringing together evidence from across multiple EU-funded initiatives, the article helps turn fragmented project experience into shared knowledge for cities, practitioners and policymakers. That is precisely what Europe needs at this stage of the transition: not more isolated success stories, but clearer pathways for implementation at scale. The publication is now available through Open Research Europe.
Background
Positive Energy Districts, which incorporate energy planning at the district level, are a pioneering concept for sustainable, smart and climate-neutral urban development. This concept supports creating communities that generate more annual energy than they consume. To this end, integrative innovative solutions for Positive Energy Blocks/Districts and Positive and Clean Energy Districts have been, are being, and will continue to be devised, tested, and monitored for their performance in the “Lighthouse” cities of various EU research and innovation initiatives. This review paper showcases a range of EU projects that were brought together through panel discussions and workshops during two key events: the MAKING-CITY final event (June 13, 2024) at the Innovation Camp in Groningen, and the Sustainable Places 2024 Conference (September 25, 2024) in Luxembourg.
Methodology
11 invited projects on Positive Energy Districts and Positive and Clean Energy Districts, and their corresponding case studies aim at exploring innovative strategies and practical approaches to accelerate the transformation of cities towards sustainability and resilience. Participants of the two events have gained insights into cutting-edge initiatives, exchanged best practices, and discussed actionable steps to foster the development and implementation of PEDs/PCEDs in diverse urban contexts.
The publication brings together contributions from multiple researchers: Beril Alpagut, Muhyettin Sirer, Zeynep Ozcan, Merve Mermertas, Cecilia Sanz Montalvillo, Xingxing Zhang, Margherita Fabbri, Lorena Sanchez Relaño, Mohaddeseh Maktabifard, Julia Schließauf, Omar Shafqat, Frans Verspeek, Martijn de Vries, Humberto Queiroz, Roeland Keersmaekers, Hannelore Scheipers, and Laura Bordo.
Results and Discussion
These projects collectively serve as a portfolio of related initiatives derived from Smart Cities and Communities, the Climate Neutral Cities Mission, and the Driving Urban Transitions funding programs—each targeting different stages in the planning, design, implementation, or operation of PEDs/PCEDs.
Conclusion
This study primarily highlights how the eleven projects and their case studies collaborate and cooperate by discussing policy recommendations, technological innovations, economic frameworks, and the role of social and local communities. Through these explorations, it seeks to offer insight into the complex and varied domain of PEDs/PCEDs in terms of replication and future steps.
You can read the entire article on the Open Research Europe portal via this link.
