Turning Strategy into Action: The IN-PLAN “Train-the-Trainer” in Vienna

On 2 October 2025, the IN‑PLAN initiative hosted its first in-person “Train-the-Trainer” workshop in Vienna, an event designed to help local and regional authorities strengthen their capacity for integrated planning to combine energy, climate, and spatial goals. 

Integrated spatial planning lies at the very centre of Europe’s transition to a green economy. IN-PLAN’s mission is to assist municipalities and regions in aligning their sustainable energy and climate plans with everyday spatial planning workflows.

Co-organised with YES‑Europe, the workshop gathered around 30 participants from across Europe, including planners, energy specialists and national agency representatives

From Discussion to Application: The Agenda

The agenda for the Vienna session blended presentations, interactive tasks and peer-exchange. In the morning, representatives from the city’s energy-planning office delivered a showcase of Vienna’s heating planning strategy and the “Phasing-Out-Gas & Vienna Heating Plan 2040,” highlighting how inter-departmental collaboration enhances long-term climate action

During the afternoon, the workshop emphasised practice-based learning. Participants were introduced to two core resources: the IN-PLAN Practice framework and the newly released IN-PLAN Checklist. These tools help authorities pinpoint planning gaps, coordinate between departments, and track the real impact of their actions.

Through a group exercise, attendees designed integrated planning measures in fictional cities, presenting their solutions through mind maps and visual plans. The process highlighted practical and flexible ways these tools can be adapted to different local contexts to improve integrated planning. 

Lessons from Vienna’s Own Transition

The programme also expanded into the city of Vienna, where participants explored different sites to see how the city is integrating climate, energy, and spatial plans. Before the workshop, participants toured Spittelau Waste Incineration Plant, a facility that demonstrates Vienna’s circular economy and district heating network.

Afterwards, a visit to Seestadt Aspern showcased one of Europe’s most ambitious sustainable neighbourhoods, which combines smart mobility, energy efficiency, and participatory design.

Both visits grounded the workshop’s theory in visible examples of integrated urban planning. For many, seeing the city’s long-term energy and spatial strategy in action provided fresh motivation to adapt similar methods back home.

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Source: FEDARENE