Urrutia-Azcona, KoldoMolina-Costa, PatriciaMuñoz, IñigoMaya-Drysdale, DavidGarcia-Madruga, CarolinaFlores-Abascal, Iván2021-08-07Urrutia-Azcona , K , Molina-Costa , P , Muñoz , I , Maya-Drysdale , D , Garcia-Madruga , C & Flores-Abascal , I 2021 , ' Towards an Integrated Approach to Urban Decarbonisation in Practice: The Case of Vitoria-Gasteiz : the case of vitoria-gasteiz ' , Sustainability , vol. 13 , no. 16 , 8836 , pp. 8836 . https://doi.org/10.3390/su131688362071-1050researchoutputwizard: 11556/1201Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.How can local authorities effectively approach the decarbonisation of urban environments? Recent efforts to redirect cities into a less energy-intensive model have been mostly approached from a sectoral perspective, with specific energy policies and plans being issued without deeply considering their ties with other urban aspects. In this sense, well-established urban planning procedures have not been part of those, with the consequence of barriers in the implementation phase of those energy plans. The Cities4ZERO methodology was developed to guide effective integration between urban planning and energy policies, plans, and practices. It provides a holistic approach to strategic municipal processes for urban decarbonisation in the mid-long term, which includes key local stakeholders’ engagement into integrated energy planning processes, as well as tools for effective energy decarbonisation modelling. This paper analyses the application of the Cities4ZERO decarbonisation methodology on its strategic stage in the development of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Action Plan for an Integrated Energy Transition 2030 (APIET 2030). It suggests that in order to accelerate urban decarbonisation, it is critical to: (a) foster interdepartmental collaboration; (b) allow for flexibility on the land-use planning regulations; (c) back decisions with detailed urban-energy models; and (d) truly engage key local stakeholders in the planning and implementation processes.15618003enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessjournal article10.3390/su13168836DecarbonisationUrban transformationEnergy transitionIntegrated planningSmart citiesSmart zero-carbon cityForesightClimate change mitigationDecarbonisationUrban transformationEnergy transitionIntegrated planningSmart citiesSmart zero-carbon cityForesightClimate change mitigationComputer Science (miscellaneous)Geography, Planning and DevelopmentRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Science (miscellaneous)Energy Engineering and Power TechnologyHardware and ArchitectureComputer Networks and CommunicationsManagement, Monitoring, Policy and LawSDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesSDG 13 - Climate ActionSDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic GrowthSDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and ProductionSDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong InstitutionsProject IDinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/691883/EU/Towards Smart Zero CO2 Cities across Europe/SmartEnCityinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/691883/EU/Towards Smart Zero CO2 Cities across Europe/SmartEnCityFunding InfoEuropean Commission for funding SmartEnCity project, the frame of this research, and Basque Government for its significant support to the Basque research and innovation paradigm.European Commission for funding SmartEnCity project, the frame of this research, and Basque Government for its significant support to the Basque research and innovation paradigm.http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112321554&partnerID=8YFLogxK