ALTHEA elevates peri-urban areas at the centre of Europe’s transition to climate neutrality.
While cities lead the climate transition through Climate City Contracts, many of the infrastructures and activities that drive emissions and resilience are located beyond city boundaries – along mobility corridors, in logistics hubs, industrial zones and energy systems in peri-urban territories.
These areas are not peripheral to the transition; they are essential to making it work. ALTHEA recognises peri-urban spaces as dynamic testing grounds for systemic change and key enablers of climate neutral cities and regions.
The project builds on the Transition Super Living Lab (TSLL) approach to help cities and their surrounding functional areas move towards climate neutrality together. By applying Living Lab principles at territorial scale, ALTHEA creates real-life environments where public authorities, industry, research actors and civil society co-design solutions adapted to the realities of peri-urban contexts.
ALTHEA acts across four core innovation axes – sustainable mobility, decarbonised energy systems, zero pollution industry and cross-sectoral governance – which structure both the interventions on the ground and the development of new tools and methods. These axes are the backbone for piloting, evaluating and scaling climate neutral solutions in peri-urban areas.
Through innovation, governance alignment and data-driven decision-making, ALTHEA supports Mission Cities in implementing Climate City Contracts and Local Green Deals that connect urban and peri-urban systems in a mutually beneficial way. Over 36 months, the project will work with five Transition Super Living Labs and three Replicators to test, assess and scale integrated approaches to climate neutrality.
Objectives
ALTHEA tackles six major challenges in peri-urban transformation through specific, measurable objectives, monitored via dedication indicators.
Involving stakeholders in co‑design
ALTHEA aims to actively involve citizens, local authorities, private stakeholders from multiple domains and civil society in the co-design of new peri-urban configurations and interventions.
Supporting cross-level collaboration and governance improvement
The project aims to promote collaboration across governance levels, reduce barriers between institutions and prepare the ground for local partnerships that accelerate Local Green Deals and Climate City Contract targets.
Enabling Transition Super Living Labs (TSLLs) to deliver cross-sector action
ALTHEA aims to accelerate the transition of peri-urban areas towards climate neutrality by establishing TSLLs as testing grounds for systemic change and implementing cross-sector interventions across the four innovation axes.
Developing innovations that support climate-neutral transition
The project aims to design and develop 21 innovations – the ALTHEA Innovations Toolkit – to support climate neutrality across mobility, energy, industry and governance in peri-urban contexts.
Strengthening capacity and closing governance gaps with data-driven solutions
ALTHEA aims to bridge governance gaps and strengthen institutional capacity by leveraging data-driven tools and evidence-based methods, positioning peri-urban areas as active drivers of Europe’s climate neutral future.
Ensuring scalability, replication and long-term impact
The project aims to demonstrate approaches that can be replicated in different types of peri-urban areas and to build business cases, policy recommendations, and transition plans that enable wider uptake beyond the initial project sites.
Methodology
ALTHEA’s methodology is structured in four main phases, aligned with the project work plan.
Phase 1: Foundations and blueprint development
ALTHEA will define needs and gaps for peri-urban transformation, analyse cross-sector interdependencies (mobility, energy, industry and governance), identify leverage points, and develop an adaptive blueprint for climate neutrality in peri-urban areas. Context-specific action plans aligned with Climate City Contracts and Green Deal objectives will be developed paving the ground for TSLLs operationalisation, as well as governance frameworks to coordinate stakeholders and address regulatory challenges. A technical and operational framework – including a digital blueprint toolkit – will support TSLL operationalisation, intervention deployment, replicability analysis and continuous learning.
Phase 3: Piloting and demonstration
ALTHEA will implement cross-sector interventions in the Transition Super Living Labs and test innovations using integrated data and co-design Living Lab processes. Mutual learning and knowledge sharing among TSLLs will be facilitated, while replicator regions will be supported through conveyance actions, peer exchanges, and tailored guidance to prepare their own interventions.
Phase 2: Design and development of innovations
ALTHEA will design and develop 21 innovations (the ALTHEA Innovations Toolkit) following an iterative approach with feedback loops from real world data and early testing. A roadmap will guide TSLLs in integrating these innovations into their interventions. This phase also establishes a cross-sector integration and data sharing framework to enhance interoperability and maximise synergies among innovations.
Phase 4: Assessment and upscaling
ALTHEA will assess both the TSLL approach and the impact of interventions using a Climate City Contract based evaluation framework. The assessment will support cross-TSLL learning and inform business and policy recommendations aligned with Climate City Contracts and relevant strategic plans, such as SECAPs and SUMPs. In parallel, the project will advance communication, dissemination, exploitation and longterm scaling activities, including work on business cases, investment-oriented tools and policy recommendations.
