Abstract Urban heat systems are pivotal to achieving climate-neutral, resilient, and equitable cities. Within the European Union’s Green Deal and Fit-for-55 frameworks, the decarbonisation of heating and cooling (H (2) sustained financial mechanisms that support non-profit, community-based infrastructure; and (3) participatory ownership models that foster “innovative democracy” in energy governance. These insights show that urban heat networks function as public infrastructures of resilience when underpinned by strong and participatory governance. The Danish experience demonstrates a community-oriented governance model that offers transferable lessons for European cities seeking to decarbonise heating systems in a just and climate-compatible way.
Sampson et al. (Wed,) studied this question.