CoP 14 Webinar: Cities Showcase Digital Innovation & Climate Governance Solutions

From urban digital twins and climate data platforms to climate budgeting and citizen-centred tools, partner cities explored how data-driven governance can accelerate climate resilience.

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme successfully launched the first webinar of Community of Practice 14 (CoP 14) on Climate Adaptation, bringing together partner cities and regions from Europe, India and Australasia for a dynamic exchange on Climate Data Platforms and Climate Governance.

Hosted under the IURC webinar series (April–September 2026), the session marked an important milestone in advancing structured peer exchange on climate adaptation challenges related to water risks, heat stress, air quality and urban resilience. Led by Sofia, the webinar convened city officials, researchers and technical experts from Sofia, Valencia Region, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Tampere, Bologna, Christchurch and Hamburg, each contributing practical experiences on how digital innovation and governance approaches can support climate-informed urban planning.

Apostol Dyankov, Head of Climate and Energy Department at Sofia Municipality, opened the session highlighting the growing strategic importance of climate data and digital tools in shaping urban resilience. Framing the discussion around climate governance, he emphasized that cities increasingly need not only better data, but also stronger systems to transform data into policy, planning and investment decisions.

Sofia Highlights Urban Digital Twins for Climate-Resilient Cities

The webinar opened with a keynote presentation by Dr. Lidia Vitanova of the GATE Institute, who showcased Sofia’s pioneering work in urban digital twins and their application for climate resilience.

The presentation illustrated how digital twins can support cities in integrating diverse data streams—from energy use and air quality to heat risk, mobility and urban morphology—into dynamic decision-support systems. Practical examples included urban heat island modelling, wet-bulb globe temperature mapping, walkability analysis, solar radiation assessments, and predictive green infrastructure scenarios, demonstrating how digital technologies can help cities move from monitoring conditions toward anticipating risk and informing adaptation planning.

Particularly compelling was Sofia’s use of digital twins to test future scenarios, including modelling the cooling impact of increased urban greening and assessing how different land-use choices affect urban heat exposure. The presentation underscored how digital twins can support both day-to-day decision-making and long-term resilience planning, while strengthening collaboration between government, academia and citizens.

Climate Data Platforms Supporting Informed Action

Building on Sofia’s digital twin experience, Valencia Region presented its suite of climate data platforms and urban monitoring tools designed to support data-informed adaptation.

Through the CEAMMetev climate data platform, dense urban sensor networks and the upcoming VitoClim platform, Valencia demonstrated how high-resolution climate information can support decision-making across sectors including public health, civil protection, water management and urban planning. Presenters highlighted how democratizing access to climate data—through open platforms, apps and public-facing tools—can strengthen citizen awareness while improving institutional preparedness.

Valencia’s work on urban heat monitoring, climate shelters, comfort paths and marine heatwave monitoring also highlighted how climate data platforms are increasingly bridging scientific research with practical adaptation solutions at city and regional scales.

Linking Climate Data with Governance and Finance

A strong governance dimension was brought forward by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which presented its innovative climate budgeting approach.

Rather than focusing solely on technical tools, PCMC illustrated how data and governance can be embedded within municipal systems through budgeting, cross-departmental coordination and institutional accountability. The presentation demonstrated how climate considerations are being integrated into planning and investment decisions, linking emissions reduction, adaptation priorities and municipal finance.

This governance perspective complemented the more technology-oriented presentations, reinforcing a central message of the webinar: climate data is most effective when embedded in institutions and linked to decision-making mechanisms.

Diverse Urban Innovations from Partner Cities

Additional contributions from partner cities further broadened the discussion.

Tampere shared perspectives on emerging digital tools and multispecies resilience approaches, highlighting experimentation with AI-supported climate governance.

Bologna emphasized the role of multi-level coordination through experiences from the LIFE Climax Po Project, demonstrating how basin-scale governance can strengthen resilience to shared climate risks.

Christchurch contributed examples of citizen-facing emissions data visualization and climate risk assessment tools that support asset planning under different scenarios.

Hamburg presented advanced planning and digital modelling approaches that strengthen urban spatial simulation and integrated planning capacities.

Together, these contributions illustrated the diversity of pathways through which cities are using data, technology and governance innovation to respond to climate risks.

Shared Lessons and Emerging Collaboration Opportunities

A strong takeaway from the webinar was the convergence around several shared themes:

• the need to move from data collection to decision-support,
• the growing relevance of digital tools for climate governance,
• the importance of multi-level and cross-sector coordination, and
• the role of citizen engagement and accessibility in making climate data actionable.

Despite differing contexts, participants highlighted common challenges and significant opportunities for transferability and collaboration.

Discussions also pointed to potential follow-up cooperation under IURC, including study visits, pilot actions through the IURC Competitive Fund, and joint proposals under programmes such as Horizon Europe, LIFE and URBACT.

A Strong Foundation for the CoP 14 Journey

As the first session in the CoP 14 webinar series, the webinar laid a strong foundation for deeper engagement among participating cities and regions. More than a technical exchange, it demonstrated how peer learning under IURC can help bridge the gap between climate planning and implementation through practical cooperation.

By showcasing replicable solutions and fostering dialogue across diverse urban contexts, the session reaffirmed the value of international cooperation in advancing data-driven, inclusive and climate-resilient urban futures.

The discussion will continue through upcoming CoP 14 exchanges, study visits and collaborative actions, further translating shared knowledge into on-the-ground impact.