Newsletter SDG-BASED: 🌱Key Updates from the Project

Cities across Europe are increasingly working toward a shared goal: becoming more sustainable, energy-efficient, and inclusive 🌱. In this context, the project continues to move forward with steady progress on planning, data collection, citizen engagement, and collaboration across cities and research partners.

Here is a clear overview of the latest developments and upcoming activities 👇

📊 Defining Clear Indicators for Sustainable Cities

A major step forward has been the finalization of the project’s key performance indicators (KPIs). These indicators help measure how cities are progressing toward energy efficiency ⚡, sustainability 🌿, and improved urban living conditions 🏙️.

The framework is now largely complete, with only minor adjustments expected as the work continues. This milestone is important because it ensures that all participating cities are aligned with a common and consistent way of tracking progress 📈.

🏛️ Working Closely with Cities: Understanding Local Priorities

An important upcoming activity is the workshop in Monreale 📍, designed to bring together local stakeholders and better understand the city’s priorities, challenges, and future ambitions.

Since Monreale currently does not have Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), the workshop will explore different scenarios for future development. The goal is to identify realistic and locally adapted pathways toward more sustainable urban energy systems 🔄.

The feedback collected will directly support ongoing project work, including the development of planning and assessment tools for cities. A simple questionnaire 📝 will help gather structured input from participants.

🔬 Insights from Cluj-Napoca and Apahida Workshops

Recent engagement activities in Cluj-Napoca 📍 have shown strong interest from participants, including city experts and students 🎓. The discussions focused on how urban areas can evolve toward Positive Energy Buildings (PEBs) and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), with a clear emphasis on real implementation pathways and urban transformation strategies.

A feedback questionnaire was used to collect structured responses, and the overall outcome was highly positive, confirming strong engagement and relevance of the topics discussed 🌟.

In addition, a dedicated workshop was held in Apahida (within the Cluj metropolitan area) 📍, involving disadvantaged communities who were relocated from informal settlements into social housing 🏠. This session provided important insights into real-life challenges, particularly around affordability, housing management, and long-term social inclusion ❤️. These perspectives are essential to ensure that energy transition strategies are socially fair and inclusive.

🔬 Turning Data into Actionable Knowledge

Across several participating cities, data collection is progressing well 📡. This information is key to understanding energy performance and urban conditions in a comparable and structured way.

While most cities have completed their datasets, a few are still finalizing contributions. Where needed, partner institutions are stepping in to ensure consistency and completeness 🤝.

The collected data will support both internal project analysis and broader research on energy communities and urban transformation 🔋.

🌐 Connecting Research and Real Cities

The project is also engaging with international research initiatives focused on energy communities 🌍. This creates opportunities for cities and partners to contribute to and benefit from global knowledge exchange.

By taking part, cities can compare experiences, share best practices, and accelerate the transition toward more sustainable urban systems 💡.

👥 Listening to Citizens and Communities

Citizen engagement remains a central pillar of the project.

Workshops have shown strong participation and interest from both professionals and students 🎓, with discussions focusing on how cities can become more energy-efficient and livable 🏗️.

At the same time, engagement with vulnerable communities has provided valuable real-world perspectives on housing conditions 🏠, affordability 💶, and access to services. These insights are crucial to ensure that sustainability transitions are not only technological, but also socially inclusive and fair ❤️.

🤝 Strengthening Collaboration and Dialogue

To support more in-depth discussions, regular project meetings will now be extended ⏱️➡️⏱️⏱️ to allow more time for exchange between partners, cities, and technical experts. This adjustment reflects the increasing complexity of the work and the importance of continuous coordination.

🚀 Looking Ahead

The project is entering a key phase where planning, data, and community engagement are increasingly interconnected.

Upcoming priorities include:

• Refining sustainability indicators 📊

• Strengthening collaboration with cities 🏙️

• Expanding data-driven analysis 📡

• Deepening engagement with citizens and stakeholders 👥

Together, these activities are helping shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and energy-efficient future for cities across Europe 🌍✨