Eurocities organised a public webinar as part of the NEUTRALPATH project on April 9th 2025, bringing together project partners, city representatives, and urban energy experts. The event marked a key milestone in disseminating early project results and fostering replication across European cities.
Stefania Mascolo from Eurocities opened the session, welcoming participants and setting the stage for the discussion. “Today, we invited you to showcase and deep dive into the progress of the city of Dresden, which, within NEUTRALPATH, is a lighthouse city,” she stated. “Specifically, we aimed to offer different perspectives on how the concepts of Positive and Clean Energy Districts can support climate neutrality in European cities.”
Cecilia Sanz, project coordinator, followed with an introduction to the NEUTRALPATH project. She explained the concept of Positive and Clean Energy Districts (PCEDs) as areas implementing clean energy solutions that produce more energy than they consume and the surplus energy could be shared with other districts, contributing to the climate neutrality of entire cities. She also highlighted the project’s two lighthouse cities—Dresden and Zaragoza—and their respective PCED developments.
Anh Minh Vu, city coordinator for Dresden, presented the EU Cities Mission and Climate City Contracts, along with a map showcasing all European cities committed to achieving net-zero emissions. He then introduced the specific sites in Dresden serving as PCED pilots within the NEUTRALPATH framework.
The technical dimension of sustainable energy solutions within Dresden PCEDs was presented by Prof. John Grunewald from Dresden University of Technology, while the social dimension through the Climate Neutral Lab was explained by Luke Bojčev, Smart City Manager for the municipality. He shared the roadmap for the Climate Neutral Lab — from its setup and co-governance structure to its management model and local engagement activities, including events like the hackathon.
The session also included a presentation on NEUTRALPATH’s replication strategy, delivered by Beril Alpagu, Project Manager at DEMIR. She emphasised the project’s ambition to scale successful solutions across additional urban contexts in Europe.
The webinar concluded with a Q&A session, offering participants the opportunity to engage with the speakers and delve deeper into the topics discussed.
In closing, Stefania Mascolo thanked all participants and encouraged city representatives to join the City Alliance and the Community of Practice—networks that support knowledge sharing and peer learning among cities committed to climate neutrality.
Explore the full discussion by viewing the recording here.
