The I-SENSE Group of ICCS/NTUA participates in GENeCITY, a Horizon Europe project developing human-centric, AI-powered Digital Twin technologies to support European cities in their transition towards climate neutrality. European cities are facing increasingly complex challenges, from rising temperatures and air pollution to traffic congestion and the need for more sustainable urban development. Addressing these challenges requires innovative approaches that combine technological advancements, reliable data and meaningful citizen participation. The GENeCITY project (Generative Agentic AI and Explainable Digital Twins for Climate-Neutral Cities) aims to support this transition by developing a human-centric and explainable Digital Twin framework that enables cities to explore future scenarios, assess potential interventions and make better-informed decisions.
Turning Climate Ambitions into Action
GENeCITY brings together artificial intelligence, Digital Twins, environmental data and citizen engagement to help cities translate climate ambitions into practical, locally adapted actions.At the core of the project is an AI-driven Scenario Engine that will enable urban stakeholders to explore and compare different “what-if” scenarios addressing key challenges such as heat stress, air pollution, mobility patterns and urban greening. By integrating data from local Digital Twins, municipal datasets, Copernicus services, low-cost sensors and citizen science activities, the project will provide a comprehensive digital environment for understanding urban dynamics and assessing the potential impact of different policies and interventions. The framework will also incorporate explainable AI methods, transparent governance mechanisms and interactive visualisation tools to support trustworthy and inclusive decision-making.
Five European Cities as Living Laboratories
GENeCITY will validate its solutions through five pilot cities, each addressing specific urban challenges:
- Athens, Greece: Scalable solutions for heat stress and air quality in Mediterranean cities.
- Riga, Latvia: Exploring synergies between cultural heritage, urban greening and climate transition.
- Murcia, Spain: Supporting the decarbonisation of urban micromobility and traffic management.
- Amersfoort, the Netherlands: Developing a Healthy Urban Digital Twin to support spatial planning in mid-sized cities.
- Skellefteå, Sweden: Data-driven mobility planning and sustainable growth in a green industrial city.
The project will also explore the replication of its solutions in additional European cities, supporting the wider adoption of innovative approaches to climate-neutral urban development.
The Role of ICCS / NTUA
The Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), through the i-SENSE Research Group, plays a key technical role in GENeCITY, contributing to the development of AI-enabled Digital Twin technologies for climate-neutral cities. ICCS leads Work Packages 6 and 7, focusing on data collection and the development of AI-based tools to support urban environmental monitoring and climate-related decision-making. Building on hardware developed through the AirBan project, ICCS will contribute to the development and deployment of sensor technologies for urban monitoring. The project will also integrate connectivity layers to enable the transmission and processing of sensor data, supporting their integration into AI-powered Digital Twin environments.
These activities were presented by Stelios Kosseris of ICCS/NTUA at the GENeCITY plenary meeting in Brussels on 26 October 2026, where he presented the work undertaken within WP6 and WP7. The meeting provided an opportunity to share the progress of ICCS’s contributions to the project and discuss the development of the technological solutions supporting the GENeCITY framework.
The technological solutions developed by ICCS will be demonstrated in the Athens and Riga pilot sites, contributing to the validation of the GENeCITY framework in real-world urban environments. Through these activities, ICCS supports the integration of sensing technologies, connectivity, data collection and AI tools, helping cities better understand environmental conditions and explore solutions towards climate neutrality.
Towards More Sustainable and Inclusive Cities
By combining advanced AI technologies, Digital Twins and citizen participation, GENeCITY aims to provide cities with practical tools to better understand urban challenges, evaluate potential solutions and support evidence-based decision-making. The project contributes to the European ambition of achieving climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, helping urban communities move towards a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient future.
Project Information
- Project: GENeCITY – Generative Agentic AI and Explainable Digital Twins for Climate-Neutral Cities
- Programme: Horizon Europe
- Grant Agreement No.: 101270173
- Duration: 1 June 2026 – 30 November 2029
- Coordinator: Maggioli S.p.A., Italy
- i-SENSE / ICCS: Project partner
Learn more about the project: https://www.genecity.eu/
