Within the third round of the Call for Proposals for -Driving Urban Transitions to a sustainable future (DUT)-, NWO has awarded a total of 11 Dutch projects on themes related to energy, mobility and the circular economy. Five of these projects have been awarded to TU Delft scientists.
DUT is a European partnership under Horizon Europe, the European Commission’s ninth framework programme for research and innovation. It focuses on urban change in a global context and for a sustainable future. The aim of the partnership is to create attractive and (economically) sustainable urban areas in which European citizens, communities and their environment thrive.
Through annual calls, DUT supports dozens of transnational research and innovation projects focusing on urban challenges. The three thematic pillars (Transition Pathways) it focuses on are Positive Energy Districts (energy), 15-minute City (mobility) and Circular Urban Economies (circular economy. For the Dutch field, NWO and/or Taskforce for Applied Research SIA act as national funders.
The consortia in which TU Delft is the lead partner are:
Fostering wAter cIrculaRity in peri-urban landscapes (FAIR)
Dr. ir. Inge Bobbink, Aerospace Engineering (AE)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Brazil.
The Fostering Water Circularity in Peri-Urban Landscapes (FAIR) project aims to establish an integrated framework for circular water management in peri-urban areas, enhancing a new paradigm for peri-urban water cycles. The project addresses the pressing need for conventional water infrastructures and systems, which often relies on "take-use-dispose" models, and are inefficient under climate stress (such as water scarcity, water excess) for a circular transformative approach. This need is particularly urgent in peri-urban regions where urban, rural, and industrial elements converge, often under high development pressures. Therefore, FAIR focuses on three European peri-urban areas-Midden-Delfland, Weiz and Prato-representing varied climatic zones to develop adaptable, site-specific water circularity strategies.
The project aims to:
- evaluate integrated water resource management approaches that optimize ecological, economic, and social sustainability;
- analyse peri-urban water flows and governance dynamics to inform scalable models;
- co-design water management practices following a landscape systemic design and the 5R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Restore) through stakeholder engagement workshops; and
- develop a decision framework to guide policy recommendations and transfer circular strategies across Europe.
Outcomes of FAIR will include a comparative analysis and atlas of the studied regions, a circular water strategies catalogue, and a robust framework for policy recommendations, to be disseminated widely among regional authorities, NGOs,Ölandscape architects, engineers and urban planners. This work lays the foundation for resilient, ecologically aligned water management practices and strengthens Europe-s capacity to address climate-induced water challenges through a circular economy approach.
Cross-cultural insights and co-designed concepts for safe everyday mobility of schoolchildren in European and East Asian cities (SafePathways)
Dr. Thomas Verbeek, Aerospace Engineering (AE)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Latvia, Taiwan, Spain.
Today-s Europe, in line with a worldwide trend, sees decreasing physical activity levels among children and adolescents, including a reduction in everyday cycling and walking. Parents driving children around can be a reaction to a combination of factors, such as a perceived or real lack of safety in other modes of travel, and different norms and values, but it contributes to traffic congestion and CO2 emissions in cities. In several European cities, young families relocate from city centres to peri-urban areas in search of affordable housing in a quieter environment - only to increase car dependency and lack of safety in city streets, factors that discourage active mobility.
In contrast, greater interpersonal and intergenerational trust in East Asian societies, such as Taiwan, seems to enable a safer environment for active mobility of children. In Taiwan, there are many everyday practices of informal friendly relationships between children, parents, schools, local businesses, and local residents, which are built on a foundation of mutual care in the community, and entail flexible and safe uses of the public space by all’age groups.
Energy Data and Flexibility Management for Positive Energy Districts (FlexPED)
Dr. Giorgio Agugiaro, Aerospace Engineering (AE)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Poland.
Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are essential to urban clean energy transitions, requiring effective energy data management to enable real-time monitoring of cross-sectoral energy flows, optimise energy usage, and implement flexibility strategies. Successful examples like Bosch-s Schwieberdingen industrial site in Germany demonstrate how centralised energy management and demand-side flexibility reduce external energy dependence and optimise the use of local heat and power resources.
However, applying these strategies to city districts is more complex due to citiesdecentralised nature, where multiple stakeholders control different parts of the energy system. This fragmentation causes data gaps, poor interoperability, and decision-making in silos that hinder the deployment of coordinated flexibility measures.
The FlexPED project will bridge this gap by translating industrial energy data management and flexibility strategies to urban districts-ensuring privacy, security, and regulatory compliance-through an AI-powered Urban Digital Twin (UDT) tested in two demonstrators: Stuttgart-s planned Rosenstein district in Germany and Sofia-s existing Lozenets district in Bulgaria.
Unlocking Adolescents’ Urban Accessibility and Sustainable Mobility Transitioning to Adulthood (HANGOUT)
Dr. Oscar Oviedo Trespalacios, Technology, Policy and Management (TPM)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, Norway (with Brazil as a cooperation partner).
HANGOUT addresses a critical gap in urban mobility planning: the systemic exclusion of adolescents aged 14-18 from the 15-minute City concept. While this concept promotes proximity, accessibility, and decarbonization, it largely overlooks the specific mobility needs, behaviors, and aspirations of adolescents transitioning into adulthood.
The project is driven by a fundamental research question: How can adolescent-inclusive urban and mobility systems be developed to support sustainable transitions and strengthen young people’s engagement in shaping their cities? To address this, HANGOUT aims to fulfill four specific objectives:
- (SO1) to understand adolescentscurrent accessibility and mobility patterns and needs;
- (SO2) to explore ways to unlock barriers for adolescentssustainable urban accessibility and mobility choices;
- (SO3) to co-design mobility solutions with adolescents through Urban Living Labs (ULLs); and
- (SO4) to develop replicable and scalable tools for sustainable adolescent accessibility and mobility choices and support urban mobility planning.
Pedestrian-Friendly Urban Spaces through Adaptive Micromobility Regulation (MicroMReg)
Dr. Yan Feng, Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Belgium, South Korea.
Micromobility holds promises to improve zero-emission transport and increase accessibility in urban areas. If effectively integrated, it can support the transition toward sustainable, inclusive, and liveable cities aligned with the 15-minute City (15mC) model. Recognizing this potential, cities have granted micromobility operators broad access to public space. However, nearly a decade of experience has revealed unintended consequences: increased conflicts with pedestrians, and discomfort and stress in the already limited space allocated to vulnerable road users. This restricts accessibility for people with impaired vision or mobility in particular. These challenges undermine the policy goals that micromobility was originally intended to support, such as sustainable, inclusive, and equitable urban mobility.
MicroMReg addresses this problem by developing tools for adaptive micromobility regulation that promote safe, inclusive, and pedestrian-friendly urban environments, while at the same time preserving micromobility-s benefits as a quick, flexible convenient, and low-emission transport option. By doing so, MicroMReg directly supports Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and Net Zero strategies, while enabling micromobility business models to flourish. This supports a wide array of mobility options for city residents and strengthens the foundations of the 15mC model; offering emission-free, flexible transport that reduces car dependency, connects people to essential services, and contributes to more liveable cities.
About NWO and European partnerships
NWO participates in several European co-funded partnerships which are part of Horizon Europe (2021-2027), the European Commission-s program for research and innovation. The partnerships focus on complex societal challenges and aim at real impact. DUT is one of these partnerships.
Read about all the projects in the and about the DUT researchprogramme.