open menu

Keep you up to date!
Register now or Login

EN | ES | SE | TR

Articles & Interviews
Florence: Renaissance and smart future
Florence: Renaissance and smart future

The Italian city has recently become a model smart city by implementing a broad plan ranging from urban development to mobility and new tourism management



District Heating 2.0
District Heating 2.0

In the EU, the main use of energy by households is for heating their homes, and is therefore highly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions



Key ingredients for a smart urban district
Key ingredients for a smart urban district

Smart city expert Ali Vasallo Belver shares the lesson learnt from an innovative integrated retrofitting strategy across Europe



Twenty-two million smart homes in Europe: from science-fiction to reality
Twenty-two million smart homes in Europe: from science-fiction to reality

Energy-saving devices and ‘smart speakers’ are selling in record-breaking numbers, and driving hi-tech market development. However, obstacles remain due to a lack of digital skills among consumers and inconsistent service levels



Waste heat from power plants hits home
Waste heat from power plants hits home

District heating systems that use industrial waste are increasingly common, which helps the transition to a circular economy.



CITyFiED Torrelago district awarded as Best Collective Building
CITyFiED Torrelago district awarded as Best Collective Building

On 11 December CITyFiED got the award for its sustainable and inclusive activities with Torrelago tenants.



Useful Steam - Heat Recovery
Useful Steam - Heat Recovery

While the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) takes place from the 2nd to the 14th of December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, we have been investigating how district heating can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases.



When citizen engagement makes the difference
When citizen engagement makes the difference

Involving citizens is the biggest challenge to finalise large-scale energy efficiency works in neighbourhoods. An emblematic story comes from Valladolid, Spain, where “no, we can’t” has become “yes, we can”



CITyFiED winner of the Smart 50 Awards
CITyFiED winner of the Smart 50 Awards

How The Project Transforms Three International Cities



District heating: has its time come?
District heating: has its time come?

Due to its reliance on renewable energy sources, district heating is becoming a preferred energy saving solution. One of the biggest challenges, however, is convincing homeowners of the long-term value of retrofitting buildings to accommodate the smart solution



Efficient, Cheap and Green
Efficient, Cheap and Green

Reducing CO2 emissions is not only about adapting new technologies, but ensuring that these technologies are also being accepted by the public



Top tech not enough for district renovation success!
Top tech not enough for district renovation success!

First in a series of three “Info Packs” from CITyFiED designed to unlock valuable insights and knowledge from the project tackles overcoming non-technological barriers in energy efficient renovation at district level. Additional new insights and public project deliverables available to registered users of cityfied.eu



A smarter way to delivering large-scale change: the CITyFiED Methodology for Sustainable Urban Renovation at district level
A smarter way to delivering large-scale change: the CITyFiED Methodology for Sustainable Urban Renovation at district level

Sustainable urban renovation is complex, particularly with respect to the decision making process, where a number of key stakeholders and several aspects need to be considered simultaneously. Evaluating and selecting alternative scenarios or measures to be implemented can be a substantial use of time and resources for cities. 



Electric bus fleet in İzmir
Electric bus fleet in İzmir

The first electric bus fleet of Turkey is being established in İzmir.



Unpicking the Secrets to Sustainable Urban Renovation and Regeneration
Unpicking the Secrets to Sustainable Urban Renovation and Regeneration

The CITyFiED consortium met in at demonstration site Laguna de Duero, Spain 27 and 28 February 2017 to keep the project on track to achieving substantial energy savings, emissions reductions and a climate of confidence for energy efficient renovations across Europe. 



Sharing experiences and illuminating ideas: the CITyFiED community comes together
Sharing experiences and illuminating ideas: the CITyFiED community comes together

One of CITyFiED ’s main objectives is to help cities get smarter, faster. By sharing a wealth of experiences in district level renovation and regeneration, the project can be a risk-saver, cost-saver and time-saver for cities, agencies and industries that occasionally struggle to hit Europe’s ambitious energy targets and deliver scalable change.



On tour at one of Europe’s largest retrofitting sites
On tour at one of Europe’s largest retrofitting sites

The Torrelago district in Laguna de Duero, Spain is home to about 4,500 inhabitants in nearly 1,500 dwellings and 31 early 1980’s buildings. A deep energy efficient retrofit is taking place as part of the EU funded CITyFiED project and captured the attention of policy makers, councillors and energy experts from nineteen European cities and the project consortium during an in depth study tour. 



CITY VOICES: Ludwigshafen
CITY VOICES: Ludwigshafen

Interview with Klaus Dillinger, deputy mayor for Building, Environment and Transport in the city of Ludwigshafen, Germany



“DiplomaCity”- Learning networks of cities for a sustainable future
“DiplomaCity”- Learning networks of cities for a sustainable future

“I’m out to prove the obvious,” says best-selling author Parag Khanna, “More connectivity is better.” “The transfer of technology and best practices” through learning networks of cities are “incredibly important, more important than every climate summit that’s ever been held in the world.”



Rooting sustainability starts on school benches
Rooting sustainability starts on school benches

How can we prepare students for the environmental challenges ahead? One way is to show younger generations the path towards smart cities of the future



Energy back in local hands
Energy back in local hands

Some examples in Europe show that cities running their own energy company can lower the energy bill for citizens



Ali Vasallo, CITyFiED: It is essential to define a robust monitoring protocol and provide a reliable set of KPIs
Ali Vasallo, CITyFiED: It is essential to define a robust monitoring protocol and provide a reliable set of KPIs

We did a brief interview with Ali Vasallo, Project coordinator of CITyFiED, who highlighted the key learnings from their experience with technical monitoring and KPIs definition.



District heating system hotting up in Leicester, UK
District heating system hotting up in Leicester, UK

CITyFiED Community of Interest member, Leicester is set to receive a share of £2.8milllion of government money set aside to help the UK expand its green heat networks.



Store it or sell it on?  Solar power practice and profitability explored
Store it or sell it on? Solar power practice and profitability explored

A Lund University masters student study sponsored by Kraftringen has given valuable insight and aided decision making, revealing it is more profitable for the CITyFiED project demonstration site in Lund to sell surplus power production from solar panels, instead of storing it in a battery.



Italian cities: not only beautiful, now they want to be smart
Italian cities: not only beautiful, now they want to be smart

From North to South, different cities of the same country look for a sustainable and replicable model for energy efficiency. Udine and Salerno are among the forerunners of Italy’s smart revolution



Smart cities vs “locked-in” cities
Smart cities vs “locked-in” cities

One of the key issues facing modern cities today is to avoid municipalities being locked in to technology from a single provider, and to ensure they are free to transition to the most convenient products and services for citizens offered by competitors



Turkey: Izmir drives smart city development in the country
Turkey: Izmir drives smart city development in the country

With centralised municipal management of utilities such as transport, water or waste services, Izmir is a pioneer of urban development in Turkey. The country’s third biggest city is fast developing and is fully leveraging IT to improve citizens’ lives



Effective networking, replication and exploitation in Smart Cities
Effective networking, replication and exploitation in Smart Cities

Views from the Smart Cities and Communities General Assembly in Eindhoven



From factors to actors, citizens increasingly in focus at Smart Cities and Communities meeting
From factors to actors, citizens increasingly in focus at Smart Cities and Communities meeting

One of the key working groups of the European Innovation Partnership is entitled ‘Citizen Focus’. CITyFiED was one site to testify, share and be inspired.  



Smart Cities committed to action and sharing ideas
Smart Cities committed to action and sharing ideas

The European Innovation Platform on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC) held their general assembly in Eindhoven, The Netherlands late this May. The event was a melting pot of ideas, people and policy trying to make sense of and give direction to the smart city movement. 



Boosting cooperation between cities to fight climate change
Boosting cooperation between cities to fight climate change

Mayors of cities in Europe and its Mediterranean neighbourhood have committed to acting together to ensure the transition to a more energy-efficient model based on the use of renewables and the reduction of CO2 emissions



Sustainable urban development in focus
Sustainable urban development in focus

More and more people are living in the cities, which accelerates the demand for a sustainable development; regarding both the environment and economy, as well as social sustainability. This means that the cities need to develop in a way that makes it possible for its inhabitants to live a good life. Areas to consider are services, integration, building, meeting spaces, public transportation and recreational access.



Energy crowdfunding: the new way to boost renewables
Energy crowdfunding: the new way to boost renewables

Millions of euros have been crowdfunded in four years to finance small and medium renewable energy projects. And there is still potential to be developed



Cyber attacks – Are smart cities safer or more vulnerable?
Cyber attacks – Are smart cities safer or more vulnerable?

Does technology expose cities more to terrorist attacks? We asked urban technology expert Francis Pisani



Smart city leaders meet to strengthen community
Smart city leaders meet to strengthen community

Coordinators of 13 smart city projects from across Europe, along with experts and representatives of the European Commission, will converge on Eindhoven for their first ever meeting dedicated to community engagement on 23 May.



The clustering effect: replicating CITyFiED technologies in 11 city districts
The clustering effect: replicating CITyFiED technologies in 11 city districts

The project’s model for evaluation of replication potential is a framework to help CITyFiED city cluster to review their individual replication potential of the technologies implemented on the demo sites. 



CITY VOICES: UDINE
CITY VOICES: UDINE

Interview with Furio Honsell, Mayor of UDINE, Italy



A hundred percent greener outlook for cities in Turkey
A hundred percent greener outlook for cities in Turkey

Endowed with renewable resources, such as wind, sun, geothermal and hydro, the country is still relying on coal and other fossil fuels to produce its energy. Forward-looking public policies could make the difference and lead to sustainable and less polluted urban areas in the coming decades



Biomass: a green source of energy?
Biomass: a green source of energy?

A wider use of waste and an accurate evaluation of the context are crucial to improving the sustainability of one of the most important sources of renewable energy in Europe



Sweden: discovering a potential model for energy efficiency in districts
Sweden: discovering a potential model for energy efficiency in districts

OpenHouse events throughout Europe represent an opportunity for outreach and replicability, central features of many European demonstration projects



CITY VOICES: Budapest
CITY VOICES: Budapest

Interview with Deputy Mayor for Urban Development, Dr. Balázs Szeneczey



CITY VOICES: Javier Pereiro
CITY VOICES: Javier Pereiro

Questions to Javier Pereiro, General Manager of FEUGA



CITY VOICES: Region Rhine-Neckar
CITY VOICES: Region Rhine-Neckar

Questions to Bernd Kappenstein, Head of Energy & Environment, Region Rhine-Neckar, Germany



Social acceptance in new smart energy districts: a lesson from Spain
Social acceptance in new smart energy districts: a lesson from Spain

Keeping tenants in retrofitted buildings fully informed about the plans helps foster their acceptance of such change in their housing



CITY VOICES: Brussels
CITY VOICES: Brussels

Questions to Mohamed Ouriaghli, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Equal Opportunities and ICT



A green revolution in the heart of Spain
A green revolution in the heart of Spain

Today, buildings represent the sector with the highest energy consumption in Europe, covering almost 40 % of the energy demand.



CITY VOICES: TARTU
CITY VOICES: TARTU

Questions to Rene Tonnisson, Member of the Executive Board, Smart City Lab



CITY VOICES: VÄRMDÖ
CITY VOICES: VÄRMDÖ

Questions to Megha Huber, Sustainable Development Coordinator for Värmdö Municipality (Värmdö kommun)



CITY VOICES: SAN SEBASTIAN
CITY VOICES: SAN SEBASTIAN

Questions to Euken Sesé, General Manager of Fomento San Sebastian



Virtual models to make cities greener
Virtual models to make cities greener

Retrofitting districts with sustainable energy systems can be a success if enough data is available to analyse the suitability of each chosen energy-saving solution



District heating: Sweden is leading the way out of fossil fuels
District heating: Sweden is leading the way out of fossil fuels

By relying on district heating combined with heat and power production, municipalities in Sweden power their cities from renewable energy sources. 



Cities join forces to retrofit districts
Cities join forces to retrofit districts

All over Europe cities and towns strive to become climate smart. They revamp their energy districts, step-by-step, while looking across borders to learn from best practices.



Tackling the many challenges of smarter, greener cities
Tackling the many challenges of smarter, greener cities

Zero-energy districts are the only possible future for European cities, as costs associated with palliating the effects of climate change soar, but there are many challenges ahead



Ali Vasallo - Towards near-zero energy consumption at district level
Ali Vasallo - Towards near-zero energy consumption at district level

Citizens living in near-zero energy districts will make significant savings and benefit from an increased comfort in their homes