CitiVerse
What is the CitiVerse?
The CitiVerse is a new kind of digital space where European cities connect, collaborate, and co-create solutions for real-world challenges. It’s where cities use shared digital tools and data to work smarter, plan better, and involve their citizens more directly in shaping urban life.
At the heart of the CitiVerse are technologies like digital twins — real-time virtual models of cities that allow citizens, planners, and policymakers to simulate changes, test ideas, and make informed decisions together. Whether it’s improving traffic flow, redesigning public spaces, or responding to climate risks, the CitiVerse helps cities act faster, more transparently, and more effectively.
The European Union supports the CitiVerse because it enables cities of all sizes to access advanced digital capabilities and work as part of a shared European ecosystem. It’s about strengthening digital sovereignty, promoting inclusive innovation, and making sure every city — and every citizen — can benefit from the digital transformation.
Four CitiVerse projects, one shared European vision
The European Union is co-funding four pioneering projects that together form the foundation of the CitiVerse. While each has its own focus, they actively collaborate to exchange knowledge, align approaches, and maximize collective impact. Together they form a strong and complementary ecosystem and are shaping the future of Europe’s digital urban spaces. By working in sync, they ensure that the CitiVerse is not just a concept, but a real, practical and inclusive future for European cities.
SENSE
Strengthening Cities and Enhancing Neighborhood Sense of Belonging
SENSE helps cities create interactive, real-time digital twins where citizens and city officials can explore, test, and improve urban spaces together. The project focuses on citizen engagement, data interoperability, and a stronger sense of belonging for people in pilot cities Kiel (Germany) and Cartagena (Spain).
More info: sense
European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness (CU)
European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness focuses on making digital twins more inclusive, accessible and meaningful for people. Through its pilot in Gothenburg (Sweden), the project develops and tests user experiences and methods based on Universal Design, exploring how cities can understand and apply accessible digital twins in practice. Because the cities of the future must be designed for everyone – from the very beginning.
More info: CU Project
3DxVERSE
Harnessing Digital Twins for Sustainable Communities and Economies
3DxVERSE develops advanced interoperable digital twins that support sustainable mobility and smart urban living. The project integrates AI and extended reality (XR/VR) to help cities simulate and optimise eco-friendly transport systems, energy use, and better public and urban services with pilots in Almelo and Aruba (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany) and Timisoara (Romania).
More info: 3DxVERSE
x-CITE
Extending CitiVerse Interoperability, Trust and Empowerment
x-CITE builds a human-centric CitiVerse framework based on European standards and tests 12 use-cases in the areas of urban planning, social engagement and culture in 3 pilot regions Rotterdam (Netherlands), Tampere (Finland) and Flanders (Belgium).