Sustainable energy Positive & zero cARbon CommunitieS (SPARCS), demonstrates and validates technically and socio-economically viable and scalable solutions, for the planning and rollout of user-driven, smart and integrated energy solutions for the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy. Our seven cities will demonstrate about 100 actions turning single buildings, blocks, and districts, into energy prosumers. The impacts span economic growth, improved citizens’ quality of life, and environmental impact trajectories towards the EC policy framework for climate and energy, the SET-Plan and the UN Sustainable Development goals. SPARCS targets a 64% carbon emission reduction, 65% increase in the share of RES, and 53% of energy savings, bringing together citizens, companies, research organizations, city planning and technical departments and decision-making entities, transforming cities to carbon-free inclusive communities through co-creation. Lighthouse cities Espoo (FI) and Leipzig (DE), implement large demonstrations. Fellow cities Reykjavik (IS), Maia (PT), Lviv (UA), Kifissia (EL) and Kladno (CZ) prepare for local replication through hands-on feasibility studies.

Among these, SPARCS identifies bankable actions for accelerating market uptake, pioneers innovative and exploitable governance and business models boosting the transformation processes, innovative joint procurement procedures and citizen engaging mechanisms in an overarching city planning instrument calibrated toward the bold City Vision for 2050. SPARCS engages 30 partners across 8 EU Member States (FI, DE, PT, CY, EL, BE, CZ, IT) and 2 non-EU countries (UA, IS). The consortium represents key stakeholders within the value chain of urban challenges and smart, sustainable cities that bring together three distinct but also overlapping, knowledge areas: (i) City Energy Systems, (ii) ICT and Interoperability, (iii) Business Innovation and Market Knowledge.

"By enabling, informing and supporting efficient urban transformation in the Lighthouse Cities, we anticipate that the SPARCS project will have a major positive impact on driving forward the sustainable energy and zero carbon agenda, and generate targeted and effective solutions that can be replicated across and beyond Europe" said Project Coordinator Francesco Reda.

"City of Espoo has been nominated the most sustainable city in Europe and our city strategy holds that as a main header. Firstly, we want to be able to share our knowledge and solutions to other cities, secondly, we think that learning from others is key to success and thirdly fruitful collaboration can create new projects and initiatives. In SPARCS we have great partners working together, Espoo is proud to be part of this group" said our partners from the city of Espoo.

"Leipzig is part of SPARCS because we want to shape our CO2 neutral city together with our local partners" shared with us our partners from the city of Leipzig.

The SPARCS team