Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC), Application & Thematic Expertise
Cities Forum has engaged with the European Commission's Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) on two complementary levels: as technical adviser preparing a Spanish city's successful application, and subsequently as an ICC thematic expert supporting cities across the programme.
Year: 2020–2024 | Client: European Commission (ICC) & Ayuntamiento de Cartagena | Country: Spain (EU-wide programme)
Cities Forum has engaged with the European Commission's Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) on two complementary levels: as technical adviser preparing a Spanish city's successful application, and subsequently as an ICC thematic expert supporting cities across the programme. The ICC helps European cities use advanced technologies and sustainable practices to build a green, digital and resilient future, and Cities Forum's involvement placed it at the heart of that European city-support ecosystem.
Our approach
The first strand was the preparation and submission of the City of Cartagena's application to the ICC. Cities Forum provided the technical assistance to align Cartagena's strategic plans with the ICC call, particularly in smart tourism and sustainable development, and to craft a compelling, well-evidenced bid, work whose successful execution was formally certified by the municipality. Around this core assignment, the firm engaged with and supported several Spanish cities considering the programme, including Alcoy, Arteixo, Benidorm and Molina de Segura.
What we delivered
The second strand saw Cities Forum act directly as an ICC thematic expert, contributing to the programme's mobility and transport work: facilitating ICC mobility round-tables and an Implementation Lab on Mobility & Transport, and taking part in the programme's geographical-chapter activity for Spain. In this role the firm helped participating cities translate ICC guidance into concrete local action on sustainable mobility and smart urban development, sharing methods and international experience across the network.
Impact
Through both strands, the ICC engagement consolidated Cities Forum's positioning within European Commission city-support programmes and deepened its relationships with Spanish municipalities and the wider ICC community. It reflects a recurring pattern in the firm's work, combining hands-on assistance to individual cities (winning funding, shaping strategy) with a network-level advisory role that multiplies impact across many cities at once, and reinforced its credibility as a bridge between European smart-city policy and local implementation.
