The ASCEND project continues to drive the development of Positive Clean Energy Districts (PCEDs) in Europe.

Dr. Stefan Synek and Andreas Baernreuther from ASCEND Project – Munich recently attended the BAU Messe, held from 13 January to 17 January 2025, one of the world’s leading trade fairs for architecture, materials, and systems.

The Building Better Cities in Europe through Positive Energy Districts agora session showcased how innovative PED models can transition from pilot projects to everyday urban development practices that can help to reshape European cities.

On 5 November 2024, a pivotal moment unfolded at the Smart Cities World Expo Congress in Barcelona, Spain, as ASCEND and NetZeroCities formalised their collaboration, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding

The session featured case studies from the ASCEND multiplier city Porto and lighthouse city Lyon, as well as NEUTRALPATH cities Dresden and Zaragoza, and from the Scalable Cities Task Group on Energy Communities offering practical examples of successful energy community models.

The agora session, The Power of Communities: Co-Creating Pathways to Climate, explored the vital role of effective stakeholder engagement in developing climate-neutral solutions for cities. Moderated by Veronika Cerna from both ASCEND and the Scalable Cities Secretariat, the panel featured insightful contributions from representatives of the ASCEND project, NEUTRALPATH, Re-Value, and Citizen-Led Renovation Support.

ASCEND participated in the Back to the Future session organised by the Scalable Cities Secretariat on 5 November at the Smart City Expo and World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The session explored the evolution of the smart cities community, tracing the journey from projects to the ambitious goal of implementing 100 climate-neutral cities. The panel featured case studies from ASCEND, NEUTRALPATH and RESPONSE.

This session will offer a deep dive into real-world examples from the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Portugal, each illustrating different stages of PED development and showcasing diverse approaches to building resilient, community-driven energy systems.

In the week from October 15 to 18, the ASCEND Lighthouse and Multiplier cities gathered for an impactful workshop jointly organised by Energy Cities and hosted by the city of Stockholm. The workshop focused on capacity building, featuring three expert training sessions as part of ASCEND’s Capacity Building Programme and multiple site visits.

Yesterday, the SPARCSeu Final Conference brought together leading voices from across Europe to discuss the future of urban energy and sustainability. In the afternoon sessions, ASCEND contributed to key discussions on scaling innovative solutions for climate-neutral cities.