Integrated energy planning for historic city centres in the Netherlands

A design workflow for sustainable heat transition in historic city centers, including UNESCO-listed areas, has been developed. This approach integrates conservation-compatible retrofitting with energy planning to achieve natural gas-free heating by 2040 while preserving architectural heritage and improving thermal comfort. The method combines GIS data, bottom-up energy modeling, and parametric tools to assess optimal retrofitting scenarios, local heat grid configurations, and thermal storage integration. By balancing heritage conservation with sustainability goals, the workflow provides actionable insights for stakeholders and citizens in driving collective transitions toward low-carbon heating and cooling.

Dang, M., Gommans, L., van den Dobbelsteen, A., & Voskuilen, P. (2025). Integrated energy planning for historic city centres in the Netherlands. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 16(3), 541–557. https://doi.org/10.1108/jchmsd-05-2025-0153