Towards Net-Zero Settlements: Barriers, Enablers and Case Studies’ Lessons Learnt from the Annex 83

Decarbonisation of urban areas is essential to reaching climate neutrality, as cities house half the global population and account for over 70% of carbon emissions. However, applying innovative approaches, such as establishing positive energy districts (PEDs), remains challenging due to stakeholder engagement and funding constraints, largely driven by knowledge gaps and a lack of best practices. This study examines barriers, facilitators and lessons learnt from six case studies in Europe, Canada and Singapore through a mixed-methods approach, including stakeholder interviews, grey literature analysis and a semi-structured review. Findings highlight district heating networks, heat pumps and photovoltaics as key technologies, with regional variations. While Mediterranean regions prioritise solar energy, northern climates employ a diverse range of solutions, including geothermal and seasonal storage. Political commitment and funding enable progress, whereas regulatory gaps and stakeholder misalignment hinder it. The study underscores the need for sharing best practices to enable PED implementation.