The DE-Sign Urban Lab: the pilot case of Cosenza city, energy efficiency as a driver for social inclusion, resilience and integrated urban regeneration

The DE-Sign Research Group is leading an initiative under Italy’s ‘Italy in Class A’ program to promote energy-efficient urban design and regeneration. Focusing on Cosenza (but as a model that can be replicated on a national scale), the project aims to create sustainable, inclusive urban spaces by integrating off-site construction, energy-efficient public housing, and innovative urban planning (NBS). The project involves various stakeholders, including citizens, students, and local organizations, in co-designing a Masterplan for the Vaglio Lise area, transforming it into a mobility hub and a sustainable community. The initiative emphasizes ‘proximity energy’, fostering social inclusion and democratic access to energy. The project’s communication model, ‘Approach, Enable, Act’, ensures broad participation and shared planning, setting a national example. The Urban Laboratory serves as an experimental platform, engaging citizens—especially youth—in co-design processes that link public policy with community needs. The KDZENERGY project, part of this initiative, trains students in energy sustainability and co-design, making them active contributors to their neighborhoods transformation.