On 7 May 2026, Eurocities organised a public webinar on Ghent's journey within the NEUTRALPATH project, bringing together project partners and city representatives to explore how neighbourhood-scale transformation can support climate neutrality.
Cecilia Sanz, project coordinator from CARTIF, opened the webinar with an introduction to NEUTRALPATH, describing the five-year, multi-country collaboration that demonstrates how Positive and Clean Energy Districts can help cities achieve climate neutrality. A central message throughout the session was that decarbonisation strategies must address social equity from the outset.
Roeland Keersmaekers, Project Manager at the City of Ghent, explained how traditional renovation subsidy schemes often disproportionately benefit higher-income households, while vulnerable neighbourhoods remain excluded from the transition. In response, Ghent adopted a social innovation approach, working directly with vulnerable communities first and testing solutions collaboratively before scaling them up across the city.
The technical discussion focused on heating systems and district energy approaches. Hannelore Scheipers from Ghent University presented the city’s strategy around collective heating, alternative heat sources, and smaller-scale heat pump clusters. Rather than promoting a single universal solution, the city is exploring flexible combinations where “heat is in the lead,” adapting solutions to neighbourhood realities.
Speakers also highlighted the long-term nature of housing stock renovation, noting that climate neutrality will require phased strategies over several decades, balancing speed, affordability, and technical feasibility, and finding a “sweet spot” between ambitious renovation schemes and affordable entry points.
Financial feasibility emerged as one of the most critical barriers. Roeland Keersmaekers underlined that current policy frameworks do not yet sufficiently incentivise step-by-step renovation approaches or integrated district solutions, making public participation, subsidy schemes, and supportive governance essential to viability.
The webinar also explored innovative business and governance models, including stronger public participation in district heating infrastructure and risk-sharing mechanisms that enable long-term investment while reducing risk for households – reflecting a broader shift towards dynamic, shared-value business models for urban energy infrastructure.
Explore the full discussion by viewing the recording here.
