Cities get hit harder by heatwaves and flash floods than the countryside — concrete and asphalt trap heat, and drains can't handle sudden downpours. This project built an online platform that takes the best climate science and turns it into practical, city-level weather-risk information. Think of it like a GPS for climate risk: instead of generic national forecasts, you get block-by-block data for cities like Barcelona, Vienna, and Prague. The platform was tested across 6 European cities covering energy, health, mobility, cultural heritage, and urban planning decisions.
By the numbers
6
European demonstration cities with live climate services
6
Replication cases extending to new cities and end-users
16
Consortium partners across Europe
6
Countries represented in the consortium
7
SMEs in the consortium
27
Total project deliverables produced
6
Concrete sectoral demonstration cases co-designed with end-users
30
Month project duration
The business problem
What needed solving
Cities face growing financial losses from heatwaves, flash floods, and other climate extremes — but most businesses and municipal planners only have access to generic national weather forecasts that don't capture how urban environments amplify these risks. Without localized, city-level climate data translated into actionable information, investment decisions in energy, infrastructure, health services, and real estate are essentially flying blind on climate risk.
The solution
What was built
The project built an online urban climate data distribution platform delivering localized climate information across 6 European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, Bern, Prague, Rome, Vienna). It released 6 demonstration climate services covering energy, cultural heritage, mobility, health, and urban planning, each with socio-economic impact analysis, plus expanded to 6 replication cases with new end-users.
Audience
Who needs this
Municipal climate adaptation officers needing localized risk data for city planningReal estate developers assessing long-term climate exposure of urban propertiesEnergy utilities forecasting demand under urban heat island conditionsProperty and casualty insurers pricing climate risk in European citiesClimate consultancies looking for white-label urban data services to resell
Business applications
Who can put this to work
Urban Planning & Real Estate
any
Target: Municipal planning departments and real estate developers
If you are a city planner or real estate developer dealing with growing climate risks to infrastructure investments — this project developed an online urban climate data platform tested across 6 European cities that translates raw climate science into block-level risk information for planning decisions. The 6 demonstration cases included socio-economic impact analysis quantifying the financial benefits of using this data before building.
Energy & Utilities
mid-size
Target: Urban energy providers and district heating/cooling companies
If you are an energy utility struggling to predict demand spikes during heatwaves or cold snaps in dense urban areas — this project built climate services specifically for the energy sector, demonstrated in 6 cities including Barcelona, Vienna, and Rome. The platform delivers localized urban climate data that can improve demand forecasting and infrastructure planning for extreme weather events.
Insurance & Risk Management
enterprise
Target: Property insurers and climate risk consultancies
If you are an insurance company trying to price urban climate risk accurately but only have coarse national-level climate data — this project created a distributed platform delivering granular urban climate information across 6 demonstration and 6 replication cities. The socio-economic impact analyses attached to each case quantify what climate-informed decisions are actually worth in financial terms.
Frequently asked
Quick answers
What would it cost to access this urban climate data service?+
The project did not publish specific pricing. However, the business model was designed around local business intermediaries who resell tailored climate information to end-users, suggesting a B2B service fee structure rather than open data. Contact the coordinator at VITO (Belgium) for current commercial terms.
Can this scale beyond the 6 demonstration cities?+
Yes — the project was explicitly designed for scale. After the initial 6 demonstration cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, Bern, Prague, Rome, Vienna), 6 replication cases were added, and the project aimed to acquire 6 more cases through business intermediaries without project funding. The distributed network model was built for pan-European expansion.
Who owns the IP and can I license the platform?+
The platform was developed by a 16-partner consortium led by VITO, Belgium's Flemish Institute for Technological Research. IP arrangements would need to be discussed with the consortium. With 8 industry partners and 7 SMEs involved, commercial licensing pathways likely exist.
Is this still operational after the project ended in 2020?+
The project ended in February 2020 and the website climate-fit.city was its main portal. The business model was designed for long-term market viability through a network of local business intermediaries. Current operational status should be verified directly with VITO.
How does this integrate with existing city data systems?+
The project built an online distribution platform for urban climate data that was co-designed with end-users across 6 sectors: energy, cultural heritage, mobility, health, and urban planning. The co-development approach with end-user partners suggests the platform was designed to plug into existing municipal and business workflows.
What regulations or standards does this address?+
Urban climate services directly support compliance with EU climate adaptation requirements and national climate action plans. The 6 sectoral demonstration cases — covering energy, health, mobility, cultural heritage, and urban planning — align with mandatory climate risk assessments increasingly required across European cities.
What evidence exists that this actually saves money?+
Each of the 6 demonstration cases included a detailed socio-economic impact analysis quantifying the financial benefits of using urban climate information for decision-making. These analyses provide concrete evidence of return on investment, though specific figures would need to be obtained from the project deliverables.
Consortium
Who built it
The 16-partner consortium across 6 countries (Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy) has an unusually strong commercial orientation for a research project: 8 industry partners and 7 SMEs make up 50% of the consortium, signaling serious market intent. Led by VITO, Belgium's leading technology research organization, the mix of 3 research institutes, 1 university, and 8 industry players suggests the science was already mature enough to focus on commercialization. The geographic spread — covering major European markets from Iberia to Central Europe — and the inclusion of business intermediaries in the design point to a platform built for continental scale, not just academic publication.
Want to connect with the Climate-fit.City team for urban climate data services or business intermediary partnerships? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help evaluate fit for your city or business needs.
