A consortium of leading entities, led by Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, has presented a pioneering proposal for the comprehensive decarbonisation of an urban-industrial environment, aiming to configure the first Urban-Industrial Positive Energy District in Europe. The proposal was submitted to the European Urban Initiative for Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) call, funded by the European Union to test bold and innovative solutions to urban challenges.
The HAPPEN project focuses on the co-creation, implementation and governance of a Positive Energy Neighbourhood (PEN). An enclave located in Betoño, north-east of the city, which corresponds to a mixed industrial, commercial and residential area of the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
If the proposal is successful, the project will have a budget of more than six million euros, 80% of which will be provided by the European institutions and 20% by the promoting partners. In addition to its inclusive and participatory approach to decision-making, the project is characterised by the sustainability of decarbonisation initiatives in terms of financing, scalability to other areas of the city, and replicability in other cities.
In addition to the city council itself and the municipal society GILSA, the bid is supported by six other entities. NAIDER provides the necessary technical developments in urban regeneration and industrial decarbonisation; the IKERLAN technology centre provides the technical knowledge to develop the energy framework of the project; the ACLIMA business cluster contributes with its vision as a key player in the environmental industry in the Basque Country; the MOBILITY LAB Vitoria-Gasteiz innovation pole contributes with intelligent mobility solutions; the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) gives the project academic and technical solidity; and finally, EIDE Basque Design provides knowledge in design for governance.
Imagen ilustrativa: Woliul Hasan, Unsplash
