On the 11th of June 2025, our project NEUTRALPATH joined a webinar organised by the Scalable Cities community and the PED Cluster - a space where several EU-funded projects came together to share idea on the creation of sustainable, people-centered energy districts in Europe.
NEUTRALPATH was represented by Stefania Mascolo (Eurocities), who introduced the project’s vision of implementing positive and clean energy districts through an integrated approach across the energy, built environment and mobility sectors. She emphasised the need to look beyond technical solutions and focus on governance, social innovation, and local capacity building, which are essential for the long-term success of PEDs. Stefania also presented two of the project’s collaborative initiatives – the City Alliance and the Community of Practice – both designed to support cities on their path to climate neutrality through shared learning and peer exchange.
Other PED projects contributed to the workshop. In particular:
- Baptiste Mougeot (ASCEND) shared updates on pilot sites in Lyon and Munich and the project’s mission to build clean energy districts.
- Marina Laskari (PEDvolution) presented a set of interoperable tools for developing PEDs and launched an open call for demonstrators.
- Lorena Sanchez (INTERPED) introduced a cloud-based platform to support the planning and management of energy districts.
- Christos Korkas (HARMONISE) spoke about managing energy resources in smart communities using a hierarchical approach.
- Minna Kuivalainen and Eugenia Brignone reflected on what it really means for a district to be “positive”, stressing that social and economic value should be part of the equation – not just energy metrics.
- Valentina Janev (INTERPED) delved into the topic of data spaces and the ongoing challenge of ensuring interoperability across systems.
- Mônica Barroso (ASCEND) discussed business models tailored to multi-stakeholder governance and introduced tools to help cities make informed decisions.
Wrapping up the session, Stefania returned to highlight some of the common challenges cities are facing – from policy and regulatory gaps to the need for more empowered local governance. She stressed how collaboration and knowledge exchange among cities and projects are essential to moving forward.
The workshop was a clear reminder of how much is already happening across Europe and how important these joint efforts are in shaping the next generation of energy-positive, community-driven urban districts.
Image credits: Headway from Unsplash
