Urban planning provides answers to questions about the functioning of communities in a given area, which involves many challenges of a complex, multifaceted nature. The absolute need to meet the different needs of the inhabitants at the same time creates competition for space and resources, which is disadvantageous from the user’s point of view. For this reason dealing with the challenges in a sectoral way is not efficient and one might even say impossible, due to the complexity of the links between them. The answer to these problems lies in cooperation between the different sectors in order to achieve maximum benefits. Such actions are known as integrated urban planning.

Integrated urban planning is closely related to the issue of sustainability and is definitely of interdisciplinary character. It aims to organise a space in such a way that its different functions adequately cooperate and strengthen each other, making them resilient to unexpected challenges. One such function is energy production and consumption, and taking this into account in the early stages of urban planning is key to creating sustainable, energy-efficient urban structures. One of the most important energy issues related to integrated urban planning is planning the development of district heating networks.

The most important advantages of district heating networks are the reduction of emissions in the city area and the expansion of building design options by eliminating traditional heat sources. Other beneficial features of district heating include:

• Its reliability – heat is supplied continuously throughout the year and maintenance activities carried out by the energy producers allow to minimise the risk of system failure;
• Stable price – thanks to the possibility to use alternative fuels, it reduces the vulnerability to fluctuating gas and electricity prices.
• Safety related to the lack of individual heating systems based on combustion, which reduces the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to a minimum.

Furthermore, the possibilities of using decentralised technologies or renewable energy sources (mainly biomass) in district heating fit perfectly into the idea of sustainable development. However, due to the specific requirements of these technologies, strategic planning is necessary for their effective use.

Considering the above, it can be concluded that in the activities aimed at promoting the idea of integrated urban planning a great potential lies in including the issue of district heating. Proper planning of district heating networks based on renewable energy sources will provide security for users and increase both energy and economic efficiency of urban areas. This topic is adressed by the ENTRAIN project, which aims to increase the competence of local authorities to develop and implement both local strategies and action plans to develop district heating systems based on RES. An important issue is also the effective use of RES potential, mainly biomass, which depends on the efficiency of district heating plants burning it. Quality assurance and management systems can be of help here, and a very good system of this kind is the “QM Holzheizwerke” system, which the Austrian project partners have at their disposal. As part of the ENTRAIN project, the entire system documentation will be translated into Polish and thus adapted to Polish conditions.

The involvement of public authorities in the planning process is also necessary to help overcome barriers that prevent the potential for energy efficiency in urban areas from being realised, and the dissemination of knowledge and public awareness of this issue will increase the chances of its successful implementation.

In conclusion, integrated urban planning is the key to creating well-organised and efficient urban structures. However, it requires responsible and deliberate action by both local authorities and citizens, which fits well with local conditions. For this reason, the inclusion of energy related issues, in particular district heating and a greater share of renewable energy sources in the local energy mix, is within this context a natural and necessary strategy towards sustainable development.

More information about the ENTRAIN project can be found at: www.pnec.org.pl/pl/entrain.