Cities account for more than 70 per cent of global CO₂ emissions and are home to three-quarters of the EU’s population. This makes them the ideal testing ground for solutions aimed at achieving climate neutrality. If you manage innovation within a local authority or a tech-based SME, you have no probably wondered how to anticipate the impact of a new public policy without taking risks on the ground.

TWINVERSE, a project funded by Horizon Europe as part of the EU’s Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities Mission, addresses this challenge. It was launched in May 2026, will run for three years and brings together 26 partners from seven countries. Its target is to connect the digital twins of five pilot cities (Milan, Cork, Kalamata, Lappeenranta and Vitoria-Gasteiz), enhance them with artificial intelligence and link them via data space tools that allow each city to retain control over its own data.

What is an urban digital twin, and what does TWINVERSE bring to the table?

An urban digital twin is a living, data-driven replica of the city that enables municipal technical teams to simulate a decision before implementing it in the real world. It is neither a map nor a scale mock-up: it is a model that is updated with real-time information (traffic, public transport, cycling, air quality) and answers the question ‘What if…?’.

Until now, many decisions regarding mobility were made on the basis of one-off studies or were tested directly on public roads, entailing significant time and financial costs. With a digital twin, scenarios are compared in advance in a virtual environment. TWINVERSE stands out from other initiatives thanks to a double technical approach:

• AI applied to planning: incorporating artificial intelligence services into digital twins to move from simulating scenarios to anticipating them: short-term forecasts, scenario analysis and assessment of the impact of measures on emissions.
• Federated constellation: Connects the twin cities of the five towns via the TWINVERSE Data Space Suite, a set of interoperability tools that enables them to share data and services securely and learn from one another, without any of them relinquishing control of their data.

Vitoria-Gasteiz: A digital twin focused on sustainable mobility

Each city involved in the project covers a different area: energy in buildings, climate risks, access to urban services or urban maintenance. Vitoria-Gasteiz focuses on sustainable multimodal mobility. The aim is for its digital twin to enable:

1. Simulate travel patterns: Understand how the public travels, by what means and at what times of day.
2. Assessing the impact of new measures: Analysing how traffic and air quality would be affected if the speed limit were changed on a specific road or a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) were to be extended. Analysing how traffic and emissions would be influenced by the introduction of a low emission zone, the pedestrianisation of a street or the redesign of the public transport network.
3. Anticipate modal shifts: Forecast how road traffic, public transport and cycling would respond to new policies in an interconnected manner.
4. Take urban logistics into account: optimising freight distribution is one of the areas in which the pilot project has set targets for reducing emissions.

This holistic approach is essential in a city with a strong tradition of pedestrian-friendly design and a well-established public transport network. ‘What happens to the bus network if the speed of private vehicles is reduced?’ The twin system addresses these concerns before a single sign is installed, establishing itself as a key technical tool.

A pilot scheme with a purpose: the 2026–2030 Mobility Plan

In the Basque capital, the pilot project is being deployed under the title ‘Multimodal Sustainable Mobility’ and aims to provide technical support for the new Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2026–2030. The City Council’s Centre for Environmental Studies (CEA) is participating as a municipal partner, providing the data that feeds into the model and proposing test scenarios.

It is this involvement that gives the project its strategic significance. The virtual simulation is not an isolated technological exercise, but a tool to ensure that public policies are based on technical and analytical evidence.

An ecosystem that was already up and running

This pilot project draws on a network of initiatives and stakeholders that were already operating data infrastructure in the region:

• Technological development: Led by INGARTEK, a Basque company, alongside the CEA and us, the MOBILITY CLUSTER. Clear evidence that the Basque business community is playing a leading role in projects of this scale.
• National connectivity: Through the City Council’s participation in the Ministry’s ‘Connected Cities’ platform, an open and interoperable environment that could feed into these digital twins in the future.
• European reach: Through initiatives such as DataLOG at the Jundiz node, confirming the trend towards modelling in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The role of the BASQUE COUNTRY MOBILITY AND LOGISTICS CLUSTER: A driving force for European participation

At the Basque Country Mobility and Logistics Cluster, we promote innovation, cooperation and participation in collaborative projects to strengthen the competitiveness of the Basque mobility and logistics ecosystem. Our network brings together more than 140 organisations and connects companies, operators, public authorities and knowledge providers.

In this context, we are driving forward DS4MOVEUS, the Basque Country’s first mobility and logistics data hub – an initiative aimed at facilitating the secure and interoperable exchange of data amongst the various stakeholders within the ecosystem. At TWINVERSE, we act as an innovation facilitator, connecting the project with mobility and logistics companies across the region and supporting the dissemination of its results.

Our participation in European projects and forums enables us to bring our partner organisations new opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and involvement in international initiatives. For our partner companies, TWINVERSE also offers an opportunity to gain first-hand insight into how urban digital twins are being developed across Europe and to identify areas where their capabilities and solutions can add value.

We will continue to share updates on the progress of the TWINVERSE pilot and the opportunities it may generate for the Basque Country’s mobility and logistics ecosystem. You can follow the project on its official website and, very soon, in our section dedicated to TWINVERSE.