ASCEND

Scaling positive clean energy districts from demonstration to city-wide replication

A collaborative project aimed to accelerate positive clean energy districts (PCED) across Europe, enabling cities to become healthier, inclusive and climate-neutral by deploying cost-effective PCED solution packages. Through two demonstration districts in Lyon and Munich, ASCEND seeks to showcase tangible outcomes and best practices that can be replicated in multiplier cities: Alba Iulia, Budapest, Charleroi, Prague, Porto, and Stockholm.

 
 

Programme / funding: Horizon Europe · EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities · Grant Agreement No. 101096571

total project Budget: €24.6M · EU contribution €20M

duration: 2023–2027 · ongoing

THEMES: Cities & Urban transformation; Energy transition; Positive clean energy districts; Climate-neutral cities; Scaling & replication; Stakeholder engagement; Business models & financing

TWNTY role: Consortium partner · WP8 Communication, Dissemination & Engagement Lead · contributor to WP7 Collaboration and WP5 Scaling Up Solution Packages

 

The project

A positive clean energy district (PCED) is a neighbourhood designed to produce, share and manage clean energy across buildings, mobility, infrastructure and public space. ASCEND is working in two demonstration districts — Confluence in Lyon and Harthof in Munich — while six Multiplier Cities develop their own pathways: Alba Iulia, Budapest, Charleroi, Prague, Porto and Stockholm. The project connects technical solutions with affordability, governance, citizen participation, digital tools and replication.

The challenge

ASCEND brings together building renovation, renewable energy, mobility, digital infrastructure, finance, governance and citizen participation across eight cities. The challenge is not simply to communicate a project. It is to connect technical work, governance, stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing and replication so that different audiences can understand what is being tested and how it could be applied elsewhere.

How TWNTY approached it

Strategy and framework. TWNTY designed the project-wide communication, dissemination and engagement framework: audiences, messages, channels, networks and implementation logic across European, national and city levels.

Community and city alliances. We engage stakeholders, grow the community around ASCEND’s knowledge environment and support the collaboration work that connects partner cities with other municipalities and initiatives. Through the collaboration work package we also engage European initiatives such as NetZeroCities and other EU-funded PED projects in joint events, webinars, publications, podcasts and campaigns

Spreading what works. We use participatory workshops and webinars, podcasts, knowledge-sharing events, infographics, audiovisual work, editorial content, publications and targeted online and offline channels to help lessons and solutions travel beyond the demonstration districts.

Knowledge platform and digital tools. TWNTY is developing the ASCEND Knowledge Platform — the central knowledge-sharing hub for solutions, tools and stakeholder interactions and supports the development of digital and analytical tools for cities (with R2M,  DKSR and University of St. Gallen), including the online Business Model Assembler, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tool, a KPI Engine for analytics and tracking, and a cost–benefit tool suggesting applicable financial instruments and bankability improvements.

From pilots to scale. Through our contribution to collaboration and scaling activities, communication is connected to solution packages, business models and replication rather than treated as a promotional layer added at the end. We support the organisation of the Business Models workshops that help cities find alternative financing pathways, and have co-developed — with the University of St. Gallen — the Business Model Assembler Tool, an interactive online and physical card game for PCED stakeholders.

What TWNTY delivered

  • Project-wide communication and dissemination strategy and implementation framework

  • Stakeholder engagement across European, national and city levels, workshops, events and city-to-city exchange

  • Website, editorial content, newsletters, social media and targeted communication products

  • Knowledge-sharing formats, participatory workshops and support for replication, scale-ups and business-model work

  • Cross-project and European network collaboration

  • The ASCEND Knowledge Platform — central hub for solutions, tools and stakeholder interactions

  • The online Business Model Assembler Tool, co-developed with the University of St. Gallen

  • Support for digital and analytical city tools (with R2M and DKSR): MCDA, KPI Engine and cost–benefit analysis

Primary audiences

Cities and municipalities · EU institutions and policymakers · National and regional government · Industry and research organisations · District residents and local stakeholders

Related expertise

Strategy & Transformation · Cities & Sustainability · Strategic Communication & Engagement · Knowledge Platforms & Digital Tools · Replication & Business Models

Related work

Scalable Cities · Smarter Together · SPARCS

Project sources

Official website: https://www.ascend-project.eu/

Planning a city-scale climate or Horizon Europe programme?

See how TWNTY works with European consortia to connect strategy, engagement, knowledge sharing and replication.