UrbanAIR digital twins for local decision-makers
The rapid and impressive pace of technological development is placing digital tools at the centre of decision-making process in urban planning and management. Among these tools, digital twins have emerged as a powerful solution to support local authorities. By creating dynamic digital replicas of urban environments, they enable cities to understand what is happening today in their cities with unprecedented precision and to simulate and assess future scenarios based on planned transformations, including associated uncertainties.
The UrbanAIR project aims to develop innovative digital twin services to support local decision-makers in addressing climate-related hazards, such as extreme heat and air pollution in urban areas. This dynamic and user-friendly digital twin will be integrated into the Destination Earth infrastructure, the flagship initiative of the European Commission to develop a highly accurate digital model of the Earth.
UrbanAIR combines climate science, advanced modelling, and artificial intelligence to empower European cities developing climate-responsive strategies, from emergency response to locating green infrastructure and broader urban planning decisions. Through detailed urban heat and air quality simulations, the UrbanAIR digital twin allows cities to test multiple “what-if” scenarios, understand where uncertainty lies in their decision making, and use behavioural analysis to explore how society will respond. This supports the optimisation of climate adaptation strategies and informed decision-making to strengthen urban resilience.
The project follows a co-production approach, designing and testing the applications together with municipal partners from five European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, Bristol, Paris, Rotterdam). This collaborative process ensures the relevance, usability, and practical applicability of the tools in real-world contexts.
What’s in it for cities
The UrbanAIR consortium is currently developing and testing applications related to mapping potential for urban greening, preparing for the 2030 EU Air Quality Directive, and responding to extreme weather events. This includes defining service preferences, identifying user needs and requirements, and assessing the overall UrbanAIR digital twin’s potential as a decision-support tool. In addition, UrbanAIR is developing other tools for extreme heat and wind events, which can then be tuned for specific applications by engaging with municipalities. The system is modular and adaptable, allowing cities and a full range of users to tailor applications to their specific challenges and decision dilemmas.
Beyond supporting pilot applications in five cities, UrbanAIR aims to ensure that the services can be applied in any European urban area. To achieve this, UrbanAIR is building a broader community of users, including city representatives, technical experts, and scientists. Dedicated in-person events (User Committee Meetings) will be organised throughout the project to provide structured opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and mutual learning among municipalities. Participation is free for city stakeholders, and dedicated resources are allocated to support active engagement.
Is your city facing challenges related to urban heat, air quality, or extreme weather? Would you like to explore how data-driven insights from Destination Earth can support your local strategies? Join UrbanAIR events to engage in technical discussions, peer-to-peer exchange, and hands-on testing of service prototypes. Together, we can evaluate different scenarios in your city and strengthen informed local decision-making.
Contact UrbanAIR teams to learn more and become part of a growing community working towards cleaner, cooler and healthier cities.
Capacity Building (Masterclasses, Peer-to-Peer Learning, Technical Assistance)
UrbainAiIR