Photo: Tim Malmgren

Twenty-four European partners are collaborating in the Horizon project DynaCITY, where the idea is to make citizens active co-creators in the urban planning process. The project argues that technical initiatives must be linked to experience, social priorities, and long-term public support to be robust and sustainable. DynaCITY aims to redefine urban planning to be more collaborative and data-driven, with a process that enables participation, powered by artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies. The project aims to empower cities to make informed, adaptable, and inclusive decisions aligned with climate neutrality goals. By integrating urban data – from static infrastructure to real-time environmental and mobility flows – DynaCITY enables the simulation, visualization, and assessment of planning scenarios that anticipate future challenges and promote equitable solutions.

Among other things, the project will connect the small village of Veberöd to the city of Lund through an interoperable digital twin ecosystem. Together, Veberöd and Lund can form a living "village-to-city" chain, demonstrating how rural and urban areas can co-develop during the green and digital transition. A crucial component in this context is the citizen engagement that has already begun to build up in Veberöd around the activities of Smarta Byar (Smart Villages). Furthermore, a co-created web and mobile application will connect residents to the digital twins. Through this application, citizens can access local data dashboards, explore scenarios such as traffic rerouting or energy sharing, submit ideas and incident reports, and receive information and feedback from the municipality.

"For us, citizen engagement doesn't start with technology, but with everyday life," says Jan Malmgren of Smarta Byar (Smart Villages). "In Veberöd, we work with small, concrete tests that people themselves help shape – from idea to evaluation. Digital twins and data become tools for dialogue, not control, allowing residents to understand consequences, provide feedback, and influence decisions transparently. Trust is built through openness, long-term commitment, and people seeing that their input truly makes a difference."

The project will also ensure that privacy is maintained, as it is crucial to uphold trust and inclusion.

The biggest challenge thereafter is to transform digital twins from pilots into reliable governance tools. This requires technical interoperability, EU compliance, citizen trust, and AI-based insights that directly inform planning. By adapting to European data spaces and ensuring inclusion, DynaCITY addresses climate risks, accelerates the green transition, and empowers communities to co-create sustainable futures.

Activities to be carried out in Veberöd and Lund

Smart Village Incubation (Veberöd): Rapid testing of IoT sensors and edge-AI for areas such as mobility, energy, and climate adaptation. Small pilot projects, co-designed with citizens, will be deployed in the village to validate both technical performance and social acceptance. Successful approaches will then be prepared for deployment in Lund.

City-Scale Twin (Lund): The validated methods from Veberöd will be scaled up in Lund. AI-supported scenario modeling will be applied to mobility, energy, water management, and climate adaptation, enabling the municipality to integrate evidence into planning and policy decisions. The new suite of tools developed in the DynaCITY project (XModel, XDevelop, and XEngage) will be used and compared with existing GIS, digital twin, and citizen engagement services utilized in Veberöd and Lund.

Climate Adaptation: Flood risk modeling and urban heat island analysis will be implemented across the digital twins. IoT data from Veberöd's local water systems will be linked to Lund's larger hydrological models. This enables early warning, prioritization of measures, and citizen-friendly communication about risks and solutions.

Energy and Mobility Optimization: Cross-domain data flows (traffic, buildings, charging) will be analyzed with AI to identify peak loads, optimize shared mobility, and reduce CO₂ emissions. Citizens will be able to see the effects of different choices, strengthening the legitimacy and understanding of the trade-offs. All these activities are interconnected within the same use case. The smaller scale in Veberöd ensures agility and close citizen participation, while Lund provides institutional capacity and decision-making structures. Together, these dual environments enable iterative testing, scaling, and embedding of solutions.

Partners: Panepistimio Patrin, Fiware Foundation Tallinna Tehnikaülikool, Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft, AB Institute of Entrepreneurship Development LTD, Universitaet Graz, Raising the Floor International Association, Ethnico Kentro Erevnas Kai Technologikis Anaptyxis, Libelium LAB SL, Superwien urbanism ZT, Digitaltwin technology Stadt Heidelberg, Digital-Agentur Heidelberg, American University of Beirut, Communauté d'Agglomération de la Riviera Française, EGM, Lund Municipality, Sensative AB, FBL Innovation economic association, Byutveckling AB, Câmara Municipal do Funchal, Logimade lda, Arditi, TimeLEX

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