IURC Knowledge Library

This factsheet explores how cities can strengthen their international reputation and attract investment through targeted city-branding strategies. Drawing on experiences from Warsaw, Nagoya and Melbourne, it highlights digital campaigns, stakeholder partnerships and flagship events as practical tools for ecosystem promotion. It also shows how branding is most effective when paired with financial incentives, corporate matchmaking and soft-landing support for incoming businesses.

Digital transformation is about far more than adopting new technologies, it requires the governance, infrastructure and institutional coordination to turn data into better public services. During an IURC Community of Practice session, representatives from the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) and Kaohsiung showcased different approaches to building data-driven cities that are ready for the next generation of AI-enabled services.

How can cities unlock the full potential of data, artificial intelligence and digital twins? This question was explored during an IURC Community of Practice deep-dive session, where Hamburg and Osaka shared complementary approaches to building the governance, infrastructure and organisational capacity needed for data-driven city management.

 

Artificial intelligence, digital twins and data spaces are becoming essential tools for managing increasingly complex urban mobility systems. During an IURC Community of Practice 2 session, experts from Turin and Rotterdam shared how their cities are using digital technologies to improve traffic management, support sustainable mobility and make better-informed planning decisions.

Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to expand internationally was the focus of an IURC Community of Practice 12 technical deep dive, where Espoo and Melbourne presented two successful but complementary approaches to helping local businesses access overseas markets. The session explored how cities can play an active role in reducing barriers to internationalisation while strengthening local innovation ecosystems.

How can cities build a stronger international profile while attracting investment, talent and innovation? This question was at the heart of the IURC Community of Practice 12 technical deep dive, where representatives from Warsaw, Nagoya and Melbourne shared their experiences in developing successful city branding strategies.

This factsheet examines two complementary approaches to sustainable urban mobility through case studies from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Seoul, Republic of Korea. It compares Rotterdam’s data-driven regulation of urban freight and construction logistics with Seoul’s incentive-based Climate Card, illustrating how cities are advancing cleaner and more efficient transport systems.

This factsheet highlights key insights from the second Deep-Dive Session of IURC Community of Practice (CoP) 4 (25 June 2026), exploring just energy transitions through case studies from Bremen, Germany, and the Latrobe Valley & Gippsland, Australia. It compares how both regions are advancing low-carbon transitions while ensuring social and economic fairness, presenting the challenges, solutions, and lessons learned to support sustainable regional transformation.

Pla Viure is Barcelona’s city council housing framework, designed to universalise access to decent and affordable housing.

Zoom Metropolitano is a geographic information platform for the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (AMG), developed by Imeplan to make urban and territorial data accessible to both citizens and decision-makers without requiring specialized technical knowledge. Users can access more than 700 layers of verified, standardized, and up-to-date information, organized around metropolitan priorities: land-use planning, environmental sustainability, mobility, and resilience.

The Digital Innovation Lab is a public innovation and digital transformation initiative in Mendoza, Argentina. Its main purpose is to help companies — especially SMEs — adopt digital technologies and move toward Industry 5.0, combining digitalisation, sustainability, resilience, and human-centred innovation.

Read the Article: https://www.iurc.eu/2026/05/21/1st-city-business-talk-webinar-shimla-city-showcases-smart-parking-success/ 

This factsheet was developed from the IURC City–Business Talk: Smart Parking Solutions, highlighting lessons learned from the collaboration between Shimla Municipal Corporation and Cocoparks.

As the first session of the new IURC City–Business Talk series, the discussion brought together cities and solution providers to address concrete urban challenges, with participation from Shimla, Leh, Jabalpur, and other cities.

The factsheet presents key insights on implementing modular and scalable digital parking solutions, emphasising the importance of flexibility, local context, and openness to innovation for successful replication.

Digital & Ai deployment within existing companies Livestream via Zoom Registration link: https://iges-jp.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_sUkf7rwGRae4r2dqKi245g Date: Tuesday May 26th, 2026 Time: 9:00-11:00 (CEST) Venue: online (zoom), Hybrid event (tbc) Language: English (simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese) This webinar, organized under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme, brings together policymakers, industry representatives, researchers, and innovation actors from Europe and Japan. It aims to share practical experiences and proven approaches to AI deployment in existing companies, bridging the gap between research and...

Rome’s urban periphery and near areas contains several degrades, abandoned or informally occupied public land. This fragmented governance left citizen-led urban regeneration initiatives without support, threatening their sustainability and limiting their potential to revitalize neglected public spaces. On top of this, citizen-led community gardens lacked institutional recognition or proper organization, plus the skills to mediate between community members and authorities.

Rio de Janeiro faces several risks due to its unique geography. Located between the mountains and the sea, the city is particularly vulnerable to landslides, flooding, sea level rise, and heat waves. In response, the city hall created the Rio Operations Centre, dedicated to crisis management, urban monitoring, mobility, weather conditions and major events.

The Horizon Europe programme offers possibilities to promote the pilot actions identified in the city-to-city and region-to-region cooperation between EU-and non-EU partners. The session will be taught by Thomas Jacob, Senior Expert from the IURC team, who will provide an overview of Horizon Europe programme and will guide through the identification of relevant calls and partners, including case studies. The coach will also explore with participants their interest in cooperating on concrete upcoming calls and discuss next steps for participation of...

The Future of the Curb is Digital – Join Our IURC NA Webinar   The curbside may seem like just the edge of the sidewalk, but it has become one of the most contested and opportunity rich spaces in our cities. Once mainly for parking, today it is the frontline for:   ·         E-commerce deliveries ·         Public transport and cycling infrastructure ·         Outdoor dining and social life ·         Climate resilience through green infrastructure   With demand growing and traditional static management no longer enough,...

The IURC Asia & Australasia (AA) is hosting an online kick-off event to introduce the region and its thematic cluster network to participating cities and regions. This event marks the beginning of the thematic clusters learning phase (matchmaking), which the IURC AA project will host through a series of online webinars connecting EU and non-EU cities and regions to collaborate on shared urban and regional challenges. This event will help participants gain a better understanding of the programme’s new approach,...

Around the world, cities are increasingly challenged by extreme weather and urban flooding. Innovative Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) such as rain gardens, green roofs, bio-retention swales, and blue-green infrastructure are proving to be low-energy, climate-resilient approaches that not only reduce flood risks but also deliver multiple social, environmental, and community benefits. In this IURC NA webinar on NbS, we will explore how leading cities are putting innovation into practice: How mandated requirements are being implemented at scale in large cities. How...

Exploring circular solutions for modernizing the building stock and creating affordable housing There are some exciting advancements in circularity in the built environment but a long-way to go for the widespread adoption of construction and renovation practices that conserve resources, minimize waste, achieve carbon-emissions reduction and, increase durability and longevity of buildings while being cost effective. Cities have a critical role to play in this transformation as they try to address affordable housing challenges, an aging building stock and pursue...

The future of urban transportation is evolving rapidly, and shared mobility is at the forefront of this transformation. Experts from the Sustainable Urban Mobility and Transport (SUMT) IURC-NA network gathered for an insightful webinar to explore the latest strategies for integrating shared mobility into urban policies. With cities embracing electric micromobility and shared transportation, the discussion highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of this shift. Key takeaways from the event include: ✅ Lessons from Munich – How the city successfully implemented shared mobility solutions....

Transforming underused or abandoned urban spaces is a universal challenge, regardless of a city’s size or scale. These areas often signify untapped opportunities for socio-economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social integration. Left unaddressed, they can become stark symbols of inequity and fragmentation within communities. Join us for our second webinar from the IURC NA Urban Planning network, where we will review successful examples of revitalized decommissioned industrial sites, abandoned military facilities, and vacant public buildings in Madrid, Dublin, Toronto, Rome, and...