Realising Net Zero Liverpool (RNZL) is a £2.6 million initiative, funded by Innovate UK, accelerating urban decarbonisation through integrated strategies in clean energy, housing retrofit and sustainable mobility. Liverpool faces acute challenges of fuel poverty, poor air quality and high embodied carbon dioxide in construction, compounded by fragmented waste management. RNZL addresses these through a four-pillar approach: deploying modular heat networks and renewable energy systems; promoting modern methods of construction with bio-based materials for housing retrofit and new build; designing electric vehicle ready mobility hubs; implementing city-wide socio-techno-economic modelling using ClimateOS. Evidence to date is qualitative and includes significantly improved engagement with public and private real estate owners and developers, institutional investors and Liverpool City Council, which has expanded its net-zero team eightfold. Two major review points are scheduled for early 2026, focusing on commercial real estate and investor outreach. Impact will be assessed through stakeholder participation, investment interest and pilot project commitments, supported by ClimateOS for ongoing benchmarking.
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11 March 2026
Brief Report|
February 09 2026
Briefing: Realising Net Zero Liverpool: a state-of-the-art urban decarbonisation initiative Available to Purchase
Ana Bras;
Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University
, Liverpool, UK
Corresponding author Ana Bras (a.m.armadabra@ljmu.ac.uk)
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Michaela Gkantou;
Michaela Gkantou
Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University
, Liverpool, UK
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Çağatay Iris;
Çağatay Iris
University of Liverpool Management School
, Liverpool, UK
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Kate Smith;
Kate Smith
Sustainability and Net Zero Projects, Liverpool City Council
, Liverpool, UK
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Louiza Kythreotou;
Louiza Kythreotou
New Resource Partners
, London, UK
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Hugo Chandler
Hugo Chandler
New Resource Partners
, London, UK
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Corresponding author Ana Bras (a.m.armadabra@ljmu.ac.uk)
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
December 18 2025
Accepted:
December 18 2025
Online ISSN: 1751-7672
Print ISSN: 0965-089X
Funding
Funding Group:
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Innovate UK through the project ‘Realising Net Zero Liverpool (RNZL)’
- Award Id(s): J272019
- Funder(s):
- Funding Statement(s): This work was supported by Innovate UK through the project ‘Realising Net Zero Liverpool (RNZL)’ (grant number J272019).
© 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited
2026
Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering (2026) 179 (1): 18–22.
Article history
Received:
December 18 2025
Accepted:
December 18 2025
Citation
Bras A, Gkantou M, Iris Ç, Smith K, Kythreotou L, Chandler H (2026), "Briefing: Realising Net Zero Liverpool: a state-of-the-art urban decarbonisation initiative". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering, Vol. 179 No. 1 pp. 18–22, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jcien.25.00800
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