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London – London and five European partner cities have triggered a milestone investment of 250 million euros in smart technologies. The cities are part of the Sharing Cities programme, which addresses urban challenges and supports the shift to low carbon transport and buildings.

London, Lisbon and Milan are lighthouse cities which have implemented digital solutions such as retrofitted buildings, shared electric mobility services, energy management systems, smart lamp posts and data-sharing platforms, according to an article on Cities Today. Bordeaux, Burgas and Warsaw offer similar solutions.

The 250-million investment milestone came from city, regional or national government funds across the six cities, as well as grants from other organisations including the European Union. The majority of investments cover building retrofits (around 200 million euros); mobility measures (around 45 million euros); and urban data platforms (5 million euros).

Burgas captured the largest investment, with around 175 million euros. Warsaw is prioritising investment of 800,000 euros for its Park & Ride facilities, while Lisbon has already secured 40 million euros towards its e-mobility fleet of e-bikes, e-cars and e-scooters.

London’s Chief Digital Officer, Theo Blackwell, told Cities Today: “London is working closely with European cities to build workable business models for smart technologies. We’ve shown that these technologies are a growing part of the green transition, a top priority for cities and governments across the world as they plan the recovery of our economies.”

The Sharing Cities project unites 34 partners from government, industry and academia. It receives 24.5 million euros in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Smart Cities and Communities programme and aims to reach 500 million euros in investment by the end of 2021.