Pescara is a coastal city in central Italy, located in the Abruzzo region, with a population of around 120,000 residents. As the hub of a transitioning metropolitan area, it brings together industrial, logistical, and tourism-related vocations. Like many European cities, it faces key challenges such as decarbonisation, air quality, and sustainable mobility.
Through its participation in the European Commission’s Intelligent Cities Challenge, Pescara launched a structured public-private governance process, which has since evolved into a permanent model grounded in Local Green Deals (LGDs). This approach has engaged a broad spectrum of territorial stakeholders, including major enterprises, public utilities, and civil society organisations.
The alignment between political leadership, technical capacity, and private sector engagement now represents a key enabler for translating the European Green Deal into tangible, measurable outcomes. As a result, the city is emerging as an urban platform for sustainable transition, with a strong focus on replicability and collaborative engagement across European networks.
Over the past two years, the City of Pescara has developed an innovative territorial governance model for the sustainable transition, based on Local Green Deals (LGDs) as structural and operational tools for co-design between public administration, enterprises, academia, and civil society.
Currently, eight LGDs are active, signed with key players from the institutional and economic ecosystem, including Walter Tosto S.p.A. (critical process equipment for the energy sector, including nuclear and hydrogen), Angelini Technologies – Fameccanica (eco-design and industrial innovation), Confindustria, the Chamber of Commerce, Confprofessioni, training centres, and neighbouring municipalities. New LGDs are also being developed on sustainable tourism, mobility, and the circular economy.
This model has already enabled tangible outcomes, such as the launch of Pescara’s first public Renewable Energy Community (CER), promoted by Pescara Energia S.p.A., with strong environmental and social impact. As of early 2025, 1,100 kWp of photovoltaic systems have been installed on municipal buildings, generating 1.45 GWh per year and already covering 22% of the city’s public building energy needs. The system will be monitored through a digital dashboard, which is under development thanks to a twinning programme with the City of Leipzig within Horizon Europe – NetZeroCities / EnAct4CleanCities.
By 2025, the city aims to have 1,500 kWp installed, avoiding 700 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, and by 2030, to generate 3.96 GWh annually, meeting 66% of the energy demand of public buildings.
The LGD model has been submitted as a best practice in Pescara’s application to the 2025 Peer Review (European Urban Initiative), which is currently under evaluation. As an active ICLEI member, Pescara is ready to share its governance tools to help build climate-neutral, resilient, and inclusive cities.
Climate Objectives and Energy Transition
Sustainable Mobility
Green Infrastructure and Urban Regeneration
Circular Economy and Civic Participation
Digital Tools and Monitoring
A shared digital dashboard is under development to monitor:
Circular Economy & Civic Participation
European Commitments and Declarations
The green, energy, and digital transitions represent a new culture of urban development. In Pescara, we chose to approach this challenge by building strong alliances between the municipal administration and the local productive system. The region’s major companies are true ambassadors of change. With them, we have signed Local Green Deals that not only translate sustainability into measurable actions but also generate lasting impacts on employment, social inclusion, and industrial innovation. Our experience shows that businesses are not only economic drivers, but strategic allies to lead the transition, positively influence society, and reinforce the credibility of cities in implementing the European Green Deal.
The signing of the Aalborg Conditions (Aalborg, 1–3 October 2024) was not just a symbolic act, but a concrete commitment to embedding sustainability across all urban policies, strengthening cooperation among European territories, and affirming the strategic role of cities in delivering the Green Deal.
Joining the ICLEI network is a prestigious recognition of the path we have taken and the quality of our approach. We embraced this opportunity with commitment and a spirit of collaboration. Being part of ICLEI means joining an international community that works with vision, practical tools, and shared responsibility. Thanks to networks like ICLEI, a medium-sized city like Pescara can today contribute with credibility to a more sustainable, just, and resilient Europe.
Carlo Masci, Mayor of the City of Pescara
The Municipality of Pescara has been an official member of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability since January 2025. The decision to join ICLEI aligns with the city administration’s goal of positioning Pescara as a living lab for urban ecological transition, strengthening multilevel cooperation and access to European instruments for sustainable innovation.
In 2023 and 2024, the city had already established active cooperation with ICLEI within the European Commission’s Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC), with ICLEI providing technical and methodological support for developing Pescara’s Local Green Deals, facilitating exchanges with other European cities, and helping define a replicable, impact-oriented public-private governance model.
Within the ICC framework, Fabrizio Berardi, ICC Project Manager, participated in capacity-building sessions led by ICLEI during the 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (Aalborg, 1–3 October 2024), focused on collaborative governance and implementing the European Green Deal locally.
Pescara's signing of the Aalborg Conditions, reflects the city’s political will to integrate sustainability, inclusion, and innovation into all urban strategies.
