PLENTY-Life project partners actively contributed to the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025, one of the European Union’s largest and most influential events dedicated to regional development and cohesion policy. The project was represented through a dedicated workshop held in Brussels, highlighting PLENTY-Life as a strong example of innovative and integrated clean energy transition planning.
The session, entitled “Integrated Clean Energy Transition Strategies: A replacement for or advancement beyond SECAP? The innovative approach of the PLENTY-Life project”, positioned PLENTY-Life at the center of current European discussions on climate neutrality, urban transformation, and evidence based policy making.
Project partners from research institutions and public authorities jointly presented the PLENTY-Life methodology and pilot experiences, demonstrating how integrated energy, spatial and governance planning can support small and medium sized cities on their path towards climate neutrality. The workshop showcased concrete examples from pilot regions and underlined the project’s strong potential for replication across Europe.
PLENTY-Life project partners also delivered the workshop “Shaping Tomorrow: Supporting the clean energy transition through spatial planning”, dedicated to exploring how spatial planning can actively support climate neutral development at local and regional level. Partners from research institutions and local authorities presented integrated spatial and energy planning approaches, including the PLENTY Life HISEP methodology, demonstrating how these tools support decision making on settlement development, renewable energy deployment, mobility, and infrastructure planning. Drawing on experiences from Austrian and Italian case studies, the workshop illustrated how spatial data, scenario based analysis, and governance frameworks can help cities translate climate and energy objectives into coherent, long term strategies. The session highlighted the value of aligning urban planning with energy transition goals, reinforcing the role of PLENTY Life partners in advancing practical and implementable planning approaches for cities and regions across Europe
PLENTY-Life also contributed to the session “Small Towns, Big Energy: Citizens Shaping a Sustainable Future”, jointly presented with the ENTRACK project, focusing on how small municipalities can lead a fair and sustainable energy transition through community driven approaches. The session highlighted how PLENTY-Life supports local governments through integrated spatial and energy planning, helping them overcome implementation challenges and translate long term strategies into action. By showcasing project results and case studies alongside participatory methodologies, the session underlined the importance of citizen engagement, local capacity building, and replication potential, reinforcing PLENTY-Life’s relevance for rural and small town contexts across Europe.
In addition to the sessions held in Brussels, PLENTY-Life also extended the European Week of Regions and Cities through the event “Close to You for a Greener Future: Lessons from Small Cities in the PLENTY-Life Project”, organised under the EURegionsWeek Close to You initiative. The event focused on clean energy transition and sustainable regional development in small and medium sized cities. Project partners and invited experts shared insights from the PLENTY-Life project on integrated planning, energy, mobility, and urban sustainability, creating a valuable space for exchange and dialogue. The event also marked World Quality Day and strengthened connections between local stakeholders, international partners, and citizens interested in shaping a greener future.
Participation in the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025 marked an important milestone for PLENTY-Life, reinforcing its visibility at European level and confirming its relevance within the broader policy debate on clean energy transition and sustainable regional development.