Smart cities – Tangible solutions, but fragmentation challenges their wider adoption

Summary:

We assessed whether the Horizon 2020 Lighthouse programme helped EU cities become smarter, and whether the Commission applied the lessons learned to the Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.

The Lighthouse programme has delivered tangible solutions and helped participating cities. However, the lack of coordination with other EU initiatives, notably the Mission, and with additional public and private funding may challenge the wider adoption of the smart-city solutions.

We recommend the Commission to assess the financing capacity of the cities participating in the Mission and address identified weaknesses; ensure citizen engagement in future urban demonstration projects; assess the replication of Lighthouse programme’ solutions; and strengthen the coordination of the Lighthouse programme with the Mission.

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