Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) represent the conceptual evolution of energy performance – moving from the level of individual buildings to neighbourhoods, and ultimately to wider urban frameworks. This transition demands not only technological innovation, but also requires extensive and continuous citizen engagement, involvement and commitment, beyond conventional top-down governance approaches. Citizens must be active co-creators in the design, operation and long-term success of PEDs, ensuring that the positive energy transition is inclusive, resilient, impactful, and future proof. The development of PEDs is also linked to the concept of Energy Communities, which represent a socially innovative framework for collective energy action. These communities enable citizens to become active participants in energy self-production and self-consumption, while fostering new forms of cooperation, trust, and shared responsibility. The provision of digital platforms and toolkits further strengthens this process by lowering barriers to participation, supporting co creation, and enhancing the long-term governance and management of community driven energy initiatives.

In this context, the nine participating EU-funded PED projects – InterPED, TIPS4PED, ARV, COMMUNITAS, PEDvolution, Citizen-led Renovation, NEUTRALPATH, ASCEND, and LEGOFIT – each at different stages of development and implementation, will present their approaches and insights gained to date. Specifically, the following thematic topics will be addressed: 

• InterPED: Different Approaches to Ensuring Citizen Impact in PED Projects.
• TIPS4PED: Demonstrating the application of digital twins in urban transition ensuring citizen centric impact.
• ARV: Strategic Engagement of Residents in Sustainable Urban Renovation: A Povo Case Study
• COMMUNITAS: Engaging citizens by co creation and UX/UI research of digital energy tools
• PEDvolution: Empowering PED innovation, on a tradition of local community engagement
• Citizen-led Renovation: Scaling methodologies from energy communities to Positive Energy Districts (PEDs)
• ASCEND: Co-creating cities: Citizen and Stakeholder engagement in PCED design through innovative digital tools (PCED Card Game)
• NEUTRALPATH: Citizens Awareness and co-creation for PCEDs designs through Climate neutral labs.
• LEGOFIT: Citizen and stakeholder engagement and gamification in building PCEDs

Through this collaborative effort, participants will gain a pan-European perspective on citizen engagement in PEDs, enriched by diverse methodologies and local experiences. The workshop underscores the principle that Europe’s energy transition is not only technological but fundamentally societal – and that its success relies on citizens not as passive recipients, but as active co creators of climate-neutral and sustainable urban futures.