Groundbreaking project promotes accessibility and inclusiveness in European cities
23 October 2024, 06:29
A new initiative promises to transform urban life across Europe. Supported by the EU, The European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness Project will develop an AI-supported platform built on Gothenburg's digital twin. Its aim is to meet the needs of all residents and visitors, regardless of age or ability, creating a more equal and accessible urban environment.
The project is part of the EU’s Digital Europe program. It is led from Gothenburg, Sweden, and brings together a cross-sectoral team of private businesses, civil society organisations, and universities from across Europe, aiming to make city spaces more accessible to everyone.
Families often need to consider the combined needs of certain family members, such as physical barriers, cognitive challenges, age-related issues, anxiety, or language comprehension, before, during and after visiting the city. A tailored Local Digital Twin of the city integrated with an AI Assistant allows people to plan the visits, familiarise themselves with locations, and experience the city via one’s own smart device, thus removing many of the physical and mental thresholds that prevent full participation in city life.
“The greatness of this project is that it fosters real collaboration between various technical areas such as data handling, digital twin, and AI combined with non-technical areas like organisational development, citizen science and EU policy. Not only at RISE, but across the project and in society as a whole“ says Claus Popp Larsen, Head of Connected Cities RISE.
"RISE has played a key role in drafting and planning the project in collaboration with a strong European consortium, based in and focused on Gothenburg. We are now actively involved in nearly all aspects of the project, which integrates social and technological innovation and development."
The project’s ambition is to deliver a scalable, replicable model of the Local Digital Twin that can be applied to cities across Europe, setting a new standard for digital inclusiveness and sustainable urban development.
The official start in October marks the beginning of a two-and-a-half-year journey, with the first exciting milestone set for the first half of 2025. By then, the team aims to have a prototype of the technical setup. It will be the foundation for the accessible digital twin that will allow users to explore Gothenburg virtually, in a new and inspiring way.
For further information on the European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness Project, please contact:
Jenny Lööf, Projectmanager RISE
Jenny.loof@ri.se, 070-548 59 58
European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness Project official website:
https://www.lindholmen.se/sv/projekt/european-citiverses-uniting-inclusiveness