Scalable Cities

Client: European Commission / CINEA service contract

Duration: 2020–2025

Total project budget (all partners): €6M

Themes: Cities & Urban Transformation; Smart cities; Climate-neutral cities; Knowledge exchange; Scaling & Replication; City networks; Financing & investment

TWNTY’s role: KP10 Online Tools Lead; KP11 Branding & Communication Lead; KP7 Events Lead · Chair of the cross-project Communication & Dissemination Task Group

The project

Scalable Cities is a community bringing together 134 unique cities involved in 28 Smart Cities and Communities and Positive Energy Districts projects funded under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. The community that has implemented more than 550 demonstrations of technological and social innovation across mobility and logistics, buildings, urban data and ICT infrastructure, citizen engagement and urban governance. Its Secretariat, run for the European Commission and CINEA, helped the community share results, scale solutions and feed its knowledge into the EU Cities Mission. The community continues to thrive beyond the service contract and TWNTY is an active part of its Board of Coordinators.

The challenge

Europe's Horizon 2020 Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse programme generated hundreds of solutions across energy, mobility, digital systems and citizen engagement. The harder task was to stop that knowledge remaining inside individual projects. Scalable Cities needed shared digital tools, coordinated communication and joint events that could connect 28 projects, 134 cities and their practitioners across a fragmented ecosystem.

How TWNTY approached it

Online tools. TWNTY led the Secretariat's digital backbone: the multitouch platform, consultancy for the Action Grant platform, a shared common repository and the community space. We also oversaw the Scalable Cities website hosted with the Smart Cities Marketplace, with data visualisation, publications and infographics.

One brand, one voice. As leader of the branding and communication task, we delivered the joint communication and dissemination strategy, communication tools, branding and promotional materials for the whole initiative, bringing 28 projects and 134 under a single branding umbrella.

Financing and scale. With Blue-Sight, TWNTY co-organised and spearheaded the development of the Cities Climate Impact Investment Fund (CCIIF) - a proposal for a large-scale European financing facility combining public and private resources to help cities cut emissions, strengthen energy security and prepare investment-ready portfolios. We also provided expert evaluations and guidance for the Action Grant replication funding, and supported the Roadshow financial capacity-building programme and the peer-to-peer learning, site visits and workshops with cities.

Joint events. Chairing the monthly Task Group on Communication & Dissemination across the SCC and PED projects, we spearheaded joint event planning and strategy; including presences at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025), the 2021 Scalable cities joint event in Lyon, URBIS Smart Cities (2021 and 2024), Mission Cities conferences in Brussels (2023), Valencia (2024) and Vilnius (2025) and ChangeNOW in Paris (2025); supported by event survey analyses and a joint event calendar.

What TWNTY delivered

• The Secretariat's online toolset: The Multitouch Platform, Shared Common Repository and community space; consultancy for the Action Grant platform

• Joint communication and dissemination strategy, branding and promotional materials for the whole initiative

• Cross-project management through the Communication and Dissemination Task Group

• Joint event planning, strategy and delivery, from SCWEC Barcelona to Mission Cities events and ChangeNOW Paris

• Joint SCWEC presences with around 150 participants, 10 workshops and 9 agora sessions across the years

• The Cities Climate Impact Investment Fund concept, co-developed with Blue-Sight

• Expert evaluations for the Action Grant; support for the Roadshow capacity-building programme and peer-to-peer learning with cities

• Knowledge sharing into the EU Cities Mission via the Smart Cities Marketplace

Primary audiences

134 Scalable Cities · European Commission and CINEA · The SCC and PED project consortia · Industry and research partners

Related expertise

Strategy & Transformation · Cities & Sustainability · Knowledge Platforms & Digital Tools · Strategic Communication & Engagement · Events & Community Building

Related work

ASCEND · Smarter Together · SPARCS

Project sources

Scalable Cities at Smart Cities Marketplace: https://smart-cities-marketplace.ec.europa.eu/scalable-cities

Managing a network of cities, projects or partners?

TWNTY designs the knowledge, communication and coordination structures that make complex ecosystems easier to navigate and use.