Progressive lighthouse districts serving as green district Gate towards Leadership in Sustainability

Project Information

ProLight

Grant agreement ID: 101079902

DOI

10.3030/101079902

EC signature date 16 September 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 2 896 695,28

EU contribution

€ 2 667 457,25

Coordinated by

FACHHOCHSCHULE TECHNIKUM WIEN
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ProLight (Progressive lighthouse districts serving as green district Gate towards Leadership in Sustainability)

Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ProLight project is showcasing six refurbished demo sites and energy communities in six European countries, using a smart neighborhood approach to provide blueprints for replication. The project aims to establish demo districts by providing or renovating advanced housing in EU cities. This initiative aligns with the EU Commission's Affordable Housing Initiative, targeting the creation of 100 lighthouse refurbishment districts that emphasize liveability and the latest innovations. Despite the variety of building types and user categories, the challenges and pressures across the EU's social housing sectors are remarkably similar. ProLight focuses on fostering partnerships and mixed communities, with a particular concern for preventing segregation and supporting vulnerable households. The project has established new networking structures to foster cooperation across district and city borders. This approach ensures the continuous implementation of integrated and coordinated sub-projects in six European neighborhoods in Austria (Vienna), Finland (Vaasa), Italy (Milan), Greece (Kozani), Spain (Gernika) and Portugal (Matosinhos) under the leadership of the ProLight team. The main challenge is to overcome existing barriers while driving the development of innovative technologies that deliver the necessary economic and environmental benefits. This will ensure the fast replication and roll-out of these solutions across all European regions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The inaugural meeting of the ProLight project took place in Vienna on October 13-14, 2022, where we established key objectives in collaboration with all partners. Our goals are centered on effective project management, which includes making informed decisions, ensuring clear external communication, maintaining operational internal communication, and providing robust administrative and technical oversight. We also emphasized the importance of close cooperation among all stakeholders.
To keep the project on track, we held General Assembly meetings in Bilbao (March 30-31, 2023), Torino/Milan (November 21-22, 2023), and Kozani (March 14-15, 2024). During these meetings, we discussed about achieved significant milestones and completed deliverables, including:
• D1.2: Project Management; Quality Assessment Plan (CO )
• D1.5: Gender Equality Plan (PU)
• D1.6: Data Management Plan (PU)
• D2.1: Refined Factsheets of ProLight Districts (PU)
• D3.3.1: 1st Annual Implementation Report (PU)
• D4.1: Stakeholders Mapping and Activator Plan (PU)
• D7.1: ProLight Website (PU)
• D7.2: 1st Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication Master Plan (PU)

Each demo district has undertaken specific phases during the initial reporting period. These efforts contribute to a comprehensive understanding of sustainable and efficient energy solutions across different contexts. The results from this period offer valuable insights into our journey toward energy sustainability, setting the stage for further project developments in subsequent phases.
The project is progressing with a clear focus on stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Key activities and timelines have been defined for all tasks in our 18-month work plan. This includes developing and distributing questionnaires to District Leaders to ensure effective data collection and analysis.
We have actively engaged with European and national initiatives, notably the New Bauhaus Initiative. Collaborative efforts have included facilitating information exchange, coordinating joint workshops and conferences, and promoting our project activities. This approach is crucial for fostering partnerships and driving forward the ProLight project's objectives.



CO: Reserved for internal project use only, PU: Deliverables are published on www.prolight-project.eu after the release from the EC

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

One of the enriching factors in ProLight, as well as a challenge, is the diversity of demo district settings. ProLight includes various types of buildings and contexts: social housing and controlled rent buildings in Portugal, Greece, and Spain; buildings without social intervention contexts in Austria; student residencies in Finland; and a school supporting an energy community implementation in Spain. The interventions themselves range from renovations in Greece, to buildings already renovated in Austria and Portugal, to recently built buildings in Italy, buildings yet to be built in Finland, and support for an energy community in Spain.
This diversity allows us to explore a wide range of scenarios and solutions. A comprehensive overview of the ProLight demo districts, including details on the range of interventions, building types, construction dates, energy features, energy performance, expected energy use reductions, increased use of renewable energy sources (RES), and processes and stakeholders, will be provided in the D2.2 Master plan incl. the demo design frameworks due by the end of May 2025. This plan will highlight how the project aims to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by each demo district, ultimately contributing to the broader goal of enhancing sustainability and energy efficiency across diverse urban contexts.