Strengthening Cities and Enhancing Neighbourhood Sense of Belonging

ongoing

Virtual world, real connection – SENSE offers immersive digital metropolises as European CitiVerses to strengthen bonds between citizens, neighbourhoods and cities. Our orchestrator drives groundbreaking Use Cases tackling urban challenges, tailored to each communities context and needs. Showcasing the incredible gains that are met when people shape communal hybrid spaces, SENSE makes the premise real – the sense of belonging drives change. Our Frontrunner cities (Kiel, DE; Cartagena, ES) will demonstrate how social, cultural, technological, historical, economic and smart applications can improve quality of life. This citizens-first approach sees people internalize behaviours through transparency, agency and micro-participation. Built on interoperable data infrastructure and MIM Plus standards for cross-platform operability, the SENSE CitiVerse is structured to facilitate practical innovation replication across Europe, demonstrated in our Follower Cities (Murcia, ES; Ulm, DE; Arezzo, IT; Valongo, PT) and consolidated in a Roadmap for future expansion. Keenly focused on policy direction, SENSE is dedicated to advancing recommendations for open, inclusive CitiVerse adoption aligned with European values. By presenting the results of the Use Cases and deployment guidelines at forums like the ITU Metaverse Focus Group, we drive consensus on priorities balancing innovation with engagement. SENSE CitiVerse solution will demonstrate that technology serving society fosters human connections – and this sense of belonging, ultimately, helps to build better cities.