The Living Lab Methodology for Urban Digital Transition: A practical handbook for cities and innovators

Published:14 Apr 2026

Urban Living Labs focusing on digital transition provide cities with a collaborative space to design, test, and refine innovative digital solutions together with citizens and other stakeholders. Through participatory methods, Living Labs help cities address complex urban challenges in an inclusive and user-centred way.

Webinar: Have your say on the next European Interoperability Framework

About

Interoperability is a key part of digital transformation, allowing cities and regions to seamlessly exchange data between different services, sectors and organisations. The European Interoperability Framework (EIF) provides a foundation to enable cross-border interoperability at the European level through common standards and specifications. This allows public authorities to make life easier for citizens and save time and costs by creating, sharing and reusing open solutions.

The EU LDT Toolbox: Practical benefits for smart cities and communities

About

Local Digital Twins (LDT) are emerging as solutions that cities and communities in Europe use for complex urban challenges like mobility planning or energy efficiency: As a virtual replica of assets and processes in cities, LDTs visualise and simulate scenarios based on real-time data, allowing city planners to make informed decisions.

EU LDT Toolbox launch event

The EU LDT Toolbox launch event marks the transition of the project into a market-ready product: After years of development, the EU LDT Toolbox is now ready for large-scale adoption by public administrations.

Date: 16-17 June 2026

Location: Roig Arena (Valencia, Spain)

Financial WG webinar: The European Urban Initiative and related funding opportunities

Background

The European Urban Initiative (EUI) is a key EU funding mechanism supporting sustainable and innovative urban development: Funded by the EU Regional Development Fund, this initiative provides financial means to European cities of all sizes aiming to drive urban innovation through local pilot projects. In particular, the EUI Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) regularly launches calls to fund projects from cities aiming to test new and scalable solutions to key urban challenges.

Joint DS4SSCC Stakeholder Forum Online Meeting

At an upcoming Joint Stakeholder Forum Meeting, the communities of the European Data Space for Smart Communities (DS4SSCC) and the Local Digital Twins for Smart and Sustainable Communities (LDT4SSC) project come together to exchange insights, collaborate, and drive innovation.

📅 22 April 2026
⏰ 10:00–12:00 CET

DS4SSCC Call for Pilots Round 4: Info Session II

Following the success of the first three rounds, the 4th Call for pilots of the European Data Space for Smart Communities (DS4SSCC) will open on 1st of April! The 4th round of pilots focuses on projects that build on previous pilots, adapting proven approaches to local conditions and exploring new opportunities to increase impact across different contexts.

DS4SSCC Call for Pilots Round 4: Info Session I

Following the success of the first three rounds, the 4th Call for pilots of the European Data Space for Smart Communities (DS4SSCC) will open on 1st of April! The 4th round of pilots focuses on projects that build on previous pilots, adapting proven approaches to local conditions and exploring new opportunities to increase impact across different contexts.

How Can Data Space Insights Translate into Social and Business Value?

This webinar will present CitizenCity, a pilot project within the

Legal WG webinar: Best practices for AI Act compliance in local authorities

Background

Cities and regions across Europe lead the way in the innovative and responsible use of AI, from assistants for city staff to interactive chatbots for residents and more. When assessing the systems’ impacts on local communities, they are facing complex legal requirements at the EU level: As the EU AI Act does not distinguish between public and private AI users but rather uses a risk-based approach to classify AI systems, cities face important compliance duties, particularly for high-risk use cases.