Coop4PEDs

The innovation of Coop4PEDs lies in applying the organisational and legal form of the cooperative to support local resource communities for PED development. The project explores the role and potential of cooperatives in implementing coordinated decarbonisation strategies and integrating spatial and energy planning. The study is conducted through a comparative approach in three Urban Living Labs, each representing different models of cooperative involvement in decarbonisation and Positive Energy District (PED) projects: Vienna (Austria), Malmö (Sweden), and Surbo (Italy). By integrating heat, power, mobility, and shared services into cooperative-led PED models and by involving cooperatives, municipalities, SMEs and NGOs, Coop4PEDs strengthens local governance, participation, and system integration. The municipalities involved—Vienna, Malmö, and Surbo—also vary significantly in size, administrative frameworks, and climate zones. This diversity is crucial for understanding the broader applicability of cooperative-led PED models in different European contexts. 

The project outcomes are designed to support cooperatives managing PED transitions and shared resource systems at neighbourhood scale. Four cooperatives are directly involved to ensure the work is grounded in real needs. Coop4PEDs also engages with cities, municipal departments, and regulatory bodies to improve their understanding of cooperative challenges and to foster more effective support frameworks that are aligned with urban energy plans and climate strategies. In particular, the project delivers transferable analysis, toolsets, planning models, and policy recommendations, supporting cities in embedding PEDs into strategic urban frameworks. In doing so, Coop4PEDs advances the EU Climate Goals by effectively bridging bottom-up citizen action with overarching climate-neutral city strategies.