PRISE
Positive eneRgy dIstrict Step ahEad
Positive Energy Districts (PED) are a cornerstone of city-wide strategies for achieving urban sustainability and climate-neutrality, focusing on producing more energy than they consume through renewable energy integration, energy efficiency and flexibility, and systemic management. PRISE aims to develop an interdisciplinary, scalable framework for valorising potential PED areas within European cities, integrating energy planning with urban planning. At its core, PRISE bridges energy and urban planning, linking bottom-up community needs with top-down urban strategies through a spatially grounded, data-enhanced approach.
Ostend (BE) serves as the primary case study and experimental ground for PRISE. In the Vuurtorenwijk district, a complex urban fabric of social and private housing, vulnerable populations, and fragmented ownership, PRISE will pilot scenario-based PED planning, including mobility and heating and cooling solutions. The presence of engaged local partners, such as Beauvent (energy cooperative), Woonsprong (social housing provider), and the city of Ostend, offers a rich ecosystem for co-creation, combining community engagement, technical innovation, and long-term regeneration strategies. An additional case study in Sion (CH) and the support of follower cities of Çankaya (TR) and Reggio Emilia (IT) further ensure geographic diversity and support the development of adaptable, Europe-wide methodologies. The case studies will serve to validate the methodology and assess its replicability and scalability across diverse urban contexts.
After a preliminary step of mapping the existing best practices of PEDs across Europe, PRISE is structured in three key phases. First, a Europe-wide assessment maps area-based PED readiness using a multi-scale, multi-domain framework combining geo-spatial, technical, morphological, and socio-economic data, including mobility and heating/cooling networks essential for energy flexibility and climate resilience. Machine learning techniques and participatory co-design ensure that urban typologies are matched with suitable PED pathways.
Second, PED concepts and scenarios are developed with stakeholders in the pilot sites. Here, a shared systems understanding is created using the New European Bauhaus Impact Model and the Integrated Modification Methodology. In this phase, data collection is done. This phase integrates active mobility, low-carbon heating and cooling strategies, and business model innovations (e.g., energy-as-a-service, aggregators). Governance frameworks and local policies are assessed to align PED scenarios with urban development goals.
Third, PRISE delivers and tests a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), co-designed with public authorities and local actors. The SDSS enables interactive, scenario-based planning and optimization of energy systems, including renewables, electric mobility, heating and cooling, and storage, within the Vuurtorenwijk (BE) and the Ronquoz 21 (CH) districts. Grounded in open science, the tool supports PED configuration, resilience assessment, and alignment with broader urban strategies (e.g., SECAPs, climate plans). In Ostend, this system will be applied to guide planning decisions, validate PED KPIs, and evaluate scalability.
PRISE will yield an adaptable approach for European cities, guiding investment in PEDs towards sustainable infrastructure. It positions PEDs as public-sector-supported models for the energy transition, warning that poor early planning can hinder progress. Using a transdisciplinary approach, PRISE boosts cities’ ability to embed PEDs at the heart of their sustainability efforts. Through a transdisciplinary methodology, the project enhances cities' capacities to integrate PEDs as a core element of their sustainability transition. With strong public leadership, community engagement, and robust tools for integration, PRISE makes PEDs techno-economically feasible, socially embedded, and resilient to climate shocks.
HES-SO, University, Switzerland (Coord.)
VITO, Public Research Organisation, Belgium
Stad Oostende, City Authority, Belgium
Beauvent cv, Business – SME, Belgium
Woonsprong BV, Business – SME, Belgium
Smart Innovation Norway, Private Research Organisation
Aalborg University, Denmark
Politecnico di Milano, University, Italy
Universidad de Cordoba, University, Spain
