EU project ASCEND: Harthof to become a positive energy district

Climate neutral city

What is ASCEND?

ASCEND stands for Accelerate PoSitive Clean ENergy Districts. The task is to create a positive, clean energy district (PCED) in the City of Munich.

What is the project aim?

The aim of the project in Munich is to transform the Harthof district in the north of the city into a positive energy district. The main focus will be on developing and expanding citizen engagement, mobility, data, and above all energy via innovative new strategies. The City of Munich is teaming up with partners from science and business to test and implement over 20 different strategies to make the district produce more energy than it consumes. In addition, other measures focus on collaborating with local citizens to make the district a cleaner and more appealing place to live. The City of Munich and its partners are receiving about 5.5 million euros in EU funding for the project.

Munich is aiming for climate neutrality by 2035

As part of the EU “Horizon Europe” programme and the associated EU Mission “100 climate-neutral and smart cities”, the City of Munich, along with Lyon and six other European (capital) cities, applied for and obtained funding in July 2022.

What do the cities hope to achieve together?

On the one hand, the aim is to develop clear and understandable methods that demonstrate the feasibility of positive energy districts. On the other hand, the project partners wish to disseminate the insights gained on a regional, national, and European level. In this way, effective strategies to improve energy systems will spread throughout Europe, meaning that all participants benefit from the insights gained from the EU Mission “100 climate-neutral and smart cities”.

What is the selected project?

The Harthof district

Munich chose the Harthof district to put the concept into practice and show what a positive energy district might look like and what strategies and technologies might be used to achieve climate neutrality. Citizen engagement is a core part of the project.

The district in numbers

• About 56 hectares
• Approx. 11,000 inhabitants
• 327 buildings
• Approx. 5,500 apartments
• 256,000 m2

What are the core topics?

Who is involved in the project?

The consortium comprises over 40 partners from the fields of business, science, and local government from 14 European countries. Alongside the lighthouse cities Lyon and Munich, the following cities are also involved: Alba Iulia (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Charleroi (Belgium), Porto (Portugal), Prague (Czech Republic), and Stockholm (Sweden). The European Commission is funding the entire consortium to the tune of 20 million euros. After successfully completing the “Smarter Together” project in the west of Munich, the City of Munich and its partners, including Lyon, applied for this EU project and were awarded funding by the European Commission in 2022.

The City of Munich’s project team

The project team, led by the Department of Labor and Economic Development, comprises the Department of Climate and Environmental Protection, the Department of Urban Planning and Building Regulation, the Mobility Department, IT Department, and Municipal Services Department. The city-owned companies GWG, MGS and SWM are also represented.

Munich’s project partners

In addition to the City of Munich itself, the other partners from Munich are Avancis GmbH, Isarwatt, Stattauto, TUM, Uniccorn and UnternehmerTUM. 

Project partners European consortium

The key Lighthouse cities are: Lyon and Munich
Follower cities are: Alba Iulia, Budapest, Charleroi, Porto, Prague, Stockholm

City Alliances

The municipality of Kirchheim near Munich, the city of Augsburg and the Munich Metropolitan Region are involved as partners in a strong alliance of cities. They can also participate in the project and implement energy-positive neighbourhoods more easily.

Impressions from the project

ASCEND - contact

Project office

City of Munich
Department of Labor and Economic Development
European and International Affairs Team
Herzog-Wilhelm-Str. 15
80331 Munich

Bernhard Klassen
Email: ascend@muenchen.de