Plenary DECUB meeting at Heerlen
06-03-2026
In February 2026, partners of the DECUB (Decarbonizing Urban Blocks) project met in Heerlen, Netherlands, for a two-day consortium meeting to review progress and coordinate the next phase of the project. The meeting, hosted by Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, brought together researchers and partners working on innovative solutions to support the decarbonization of urban blocks and the circular transformation of cities.
The meeting combined technical sessions on the progress of the project’s work packages with a dialogue session at Heerlen City Hall and a guided visit highlighting local circular economy initiatives and urban regeneration projects.
Urban Living Labs engaging citizens and stakeholders
One of the key elements of the DECUB project is the development of Urban Living Labs (ULLs), where researchers, citizens and local stakeholders collaborate to explore sustainable transformation scenarios for urban blocks.
The project is implementing a participatory methodology using collaborative tools such as the World Café method and gamification techniques to identify the values people associate with urban environments and to evaluate potential transformation strategies.
Progress in the three Living Labs includes:
Verviers (Belgium) – The first citizen workshop has already taken place. Participants highlighted the importance of the Vesdre River, historic architecture and the need for more green spaces and improved public spaces.
Heerlen (Netherlands) – Local stakeholders, including the municipality and housing association Wonen Limburg, are collaborating to launch the participatory process.
Zaragoza (Spain) – A new case study has been confirmed in the San Bruno neighbourhood, with additional stakeholders such as sustainability organisations and heritage institutions joining the Living Lab.
These participatory processes will provide valuable insights to support urban regeneration strategies focused on sustainability, circular economy and climate neutrality.
Urban archetypes and environmental analysis
Another key research line of the project focuses on the characterisation of urban block archetypes across the participating cities.
Researchers have already classified thousands of urban blocks to identify representative typologies that will be used to evaluate material flows, environmental performance and renovation strategies.
This work will support the development of models capable of estimating the material stocks and environmental impacts of buildings, providing scientific evidence to guide low-carbon urban transformation policies.
Developing a digital twin for urban blocks
The meeting also showcased progress in the development of the DECUB digital twin platform, an innovative data infrastructure designed to analyse urban blocks and support decision-making.
The platform integrates several technologies:
PostgreSQL for data management
Python for data processing
Java + Spring for backend services
CesiumJS for interactive 3D visualisation of buildings and urban blocks
Urban data from cadastral sources are transformed into 3D models of buildings and blocks, enabling interactive analysis of urban environments.
A first design of the prototype of the platform has already been developed, providing the foundation for future simulations related to energy performance, material flows and urban regeneration scenarios.
Evaluating policies for circular urban development
The project is also analysing European and national policies related to the circular economy in the built environment.
Researchers are applying text-mining techniques and policy analysis methods to identify key concepts, policy priorities and potential gaps. Early results show that many policies emphasise technological innovation and economic competitiveness, while social and spatial aspects receive less attention.
This research will help support more balanced policy frameworks for sustainable and circular urban development.
Next steps for the DECUB project
The consortium meeting in Heerlen helped align the project partners and define the next steps for the coming months, including:
organising participatory workshops in the Urban Living Labs
refining urban block archetype classifications
developing detailed digital twin models of representative urban blocks
strengthening collaboration with cities, stakeholders and policy makers.
Through the combination of citizen participation, digital technologies and environmental analysis, the DECUB project aims to provide innovative tools to support the decarbonization of urban blocks and the transition toward circular, climate-neutral cities in Europe.
