Sustainable Urban Energy Communities. A model for eco-social regeneration of Mediterranean metropolis

Climate change has strongly influenced urban and territorial planning in the last decade. It increases the natural and anthropogenic hazards to which citizens are exposed. Since the direct link between the phenomenon and energy production is now evident, the energy transition programs become extremely relevant. The best practices review regarding energy efficiency demonstrates that, when these actions are the consequence of top-down, elitist or pedagogical paths, the results are often disappointing, even more so in contexts of deprivation. In fact, the conflictual dimension prevails which leads these experiences to exhaust in themselves and the products/processes that should have characterized their success become catalysts of degradation. Consequently, studies on the topic have recently focused attention on Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) which are an energy-effective response (1) that also appear to achieve a greater compliance with the citizens who live in Public Housing (PH) districts. However, in the literature, the study of RECs is often limited to examining their energy efficiency results, neglecting the potential of these solutions to achieve and maintain regenerative objectives also in the social and environmental fields. This article illustrates the results, for the PH district San Gaetano of Naples, of a Research Project, developed at the University of Naples Federico II, aimed at promoting RECs first and foremost as opportunities for socio-ecological regeneration of metropolitan suburbs. The Research is financed by an agreement with the Campania Region and the Campania Agency for Public Housing and is inspired by the renewed approach of the "National Innovative Program for the Quality of Housing" (PINQuA).