What if citizens could truly feel part of their city — digitally and physically?
The European project SENSE, funded by the Digital Europe Programme with an EU contribution of €3.86 million on a total budget of €7.72 million, addresses this challenge by building inclusive CitiVerses that foster participation, transparency, and local empowerment.
“With SENSE, we transform digital twins into living CitiVerses where citizens can see, understand, and help shape their urban environment. Technology becomes a tool for social connection — and that sense of belonging helps to build better cities.”
— Juan Francisco Inglés, Project Manager, Libelium
CitiVerses in action: from Kiel to Cartagena
Two frontrunner cities lead the way:
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- In Kiel (Germany), the CitiVerse enables citizens to explore a digital version of their waterfront to learn about climate adaptation and marine biodiversity. Interactive, gamified experiences connect residents to their environment and each other.
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- In Cartagena (Spain), the CitiVerse visualises flood risks and coastal resilience strategies. Local citizens, including those whose livelihoods depend on a healthy coastline, can see how planned measures affect their daily lives and contribute feedback directly.
Follower cities Murcia (Spain), Ulm (Germany), Arezzo (Italy) and Valongo (Portugal) will scale these solutions to their own urban contexts.
A European collaboration for interoperable CitiVerses
The SENSE consortium brings together 11 partners from 6 countries:
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- Libelium Lab (Coordinator, Spain)
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- Ayuntamiento de Cartagena (Spain)
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- DeltaDAO AG (Germany)
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- Drees & Sommer SE (Germany)
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- Landeshauptstadt Kiel (Germany)
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- OASC – Open & Agile Smart Cities (Belgium)
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- Mobility as a Service Alliance (Belgium)
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- University of Gallway (Ireland)
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- Kiel-Marketing e.V. (Germany)
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- DunavNET Limited (Ireland)
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- Nurogames GmbH (Germany)
Towards a European CitiVerse
SENSE supports key EU priorities, including the Digital Decade goals and the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. By building on open standards and promoting cross-border collaboration, SENSE helps cities co-create digital environments where citizens are central.
Project results will be shared through the CitiVerse Academy via OASC’s City x City Academy, fostering replication across Europe.
Learn more about SENSE
Website: www.senseverse.eu
LinkedIn: SENSE Project
Contact: projects@libelium.com
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No 101167948.