IIIEE is a partner in the new European research project Coop4PEDs (Cooperatives as drivers of urban energy strategies and collaborative PED transformation). The project investigates how cooperatives can act as key actors in urban decarbonisation and support the development of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), meaning neighbourhoods that aim to achieve a positive energy balance over time.
Coop4PEDs is a three year project bringing together partners from Austria, Sweden, and Italy. Through a comparative approach across three Urban Living Labs, the project explores how cooperative models can enable coordinated energy planning, strengthen social inclusion, and contribute to long term governance arrangements that support climate neutral cities.
The Swedish Urban Living Lab is located in Sege Park in Malmö, a district undergoing transformation with a strong emphasis on sustainability and social innovation. Here, the project studies how housing cooperatives, community organisations, and municipal actors collaborate to develop local energy sharing solutions and create conditions for a future Positive Energy District and an Energy Community. Particular attention is given to participatory processes, everyday energy practices, and the institutional and regulatory frameworks that shape opportunities for cooperative engagement.
IIIEE leads research on governance and citizen involvement in the transition towards cooperative energy systems. Coop4PEDs will examine how cooperative approaches can support alignment between municipal climate strategies, spatial planning, and local energy initiatives, and will develop organisational models and policy recommendations to strengthen citizen participation and promote socially just and resilient energy transitions.
Through cross case learning, co creation processes, and neighbourhood testing, Coop4PEDs aims to generate transferable knowledge, planning tools, and guidelines for cities seeking to integrate cooperative led energy models into their strategic climate work. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) programme and the Swedish Energy Agency.
Included researchers are Daniela Lazoroska, Anna-Riikka Kojonsaari, Ella Alfredsson Jofs and Jenny Palm.
Read more on the project webpage here.
