Cities across Europe are under increasing pressure to adapt their energy systems, manage spatial growth and strengthen infrastructure capacity. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) offer a promising way to address these challenges at district scale, linking energy transition with area development. This guide presents PEDs as a practical approach for cities, translating experience from real projects into an accessible format that supports early-stage decision-making — without prescribing a fixed model or step-by-step blueprint.
The guide was developed within ATELIER, a research and innovation project funded by Horizon 2020. ATELIER explores how Positive Energy Districts can be planned, implemented and scaled in real urban contexts, combining technical innovation with governance, finance and stakeholder collaboration. With Amsterdam as one of our living labs, ATELIER was able to generate hands-on insights into what makes PED ambitions feasible in practice.
Building on ATELIER’s workshops, project results and on-the-ground experience, this guide focuses on feasibility, coordination and readiness. It supports urban practitioners, municipal teams and their partners in understanding what a PED can enable, assessing local conditions and turning ambition into realistic action — grounded in lessons learned from implementation rather than idealised models