Imagine your city could upgrade an entire neighbourhood at once — better insulation, solar panels on roofs, electric buses replacing diesel, and smart sensors tracking energy use in real time. REMOURBAN did exactly that in three cities across Spain, the UK, and Turkey, retrofitting over 1,000 homes and rolling out more than 190 electric vehicles. They then packaged the whole approach into a replicable playbook so other cities can copy it without starting from scratch. Two additional cities in Belgium and Hungary tested whether the model actually transfers, and it did.
By the numbers
1,000+
dwellings retrofitted across three lighthouse cities
Cities across Europe face aging building stock, rising energy costs, and pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions — but retrofitting at district scale is expensive, complex, and risky when you lack proven models. Most urban renewal projects stay stuck at the single-building level because there is no tested playbook for combining energy upgrades, electric mobility, and smart monitoring into one coordinated city-wide intervention.
The solution
What was built
REMOURBAN built and validated a sustainable urban regeneration model combining building energy retrofits, electric vehicle deployment, and ICT monitoring tools. Concrete outputs include integrated urban plans for each city, replicability plans for follower cities, ICT performance analysis, standardization reports, economic analysis, social acceptance evaluation, and a model for assessing replication potential in new cities.
Audience
Who needs this
Energy service companies (ESCOs) scaling district-level building retrofitsMunicipal governments planning smart city transformationsElectric fleet operators integrating EVs into urban transport networksIoT and smart-city platform vendors seeking validated reference casesUrban development consultancies advising on neighbourhood-scale regeneration
Business applications
Who can put this to work
Urban Energy Services
mid-size
Target: Energy service companies (ESCOs) offering building retrofit packages
If you are an ESCO struggling to scale district-level retrofits beyond one-off pilot buildings — REMOURBAN developed and validated a regeneration model across more than 1,000 dwellings in three cities. Their integrated urban plans and economic analysis reports give you a tested blueprint for bundling energy efficiency, renewable heating, and ICT monitoring into a single district-wide contract.
Electric Mobility
enterprise
Target: Fleet operators and urban transport authorities
If you are a fleet operator or transit authority looking to electrify city transport routes — REMOURBAN deployed more than 190 electric vehicles across Valladolid, Nottingham, and Eskisehir and measured real-world performance. Their ICT tools performance analysis and evaluation reports provide operational data on EV integration within mixed urban transport systems, reducing your own trial-and-error costs.
Smart City Solutions
SME
Target: Technology vendors selling IoT platforms and city dashboards to municipalities
If you are an IoT or smart-city platform vendor trying to prove your solution works at city scale — REMOURBAN tested ICT tools across three lighthouse cities and two follower cities, engaging more than 11,000 citizens. Their replicability plans and standardization report give you a ready-made reference case and technical benchmarks to include in your municipal sales proposals.
Frequently asked
Quick answers
What would it cost a city or company to implement this model?+
The project reports a total investment higher than 14 million euros across three lighthouse cities for retrofitting over 1,000 dwellings and deploying 190+ electric vehicles. Per-city or per-building cost breakdowns are available in the project's economic analysis report. Exact licensing or model access costs are not specified in the available data.
Has this been tested at a scale relevant to real cities?+
Yes. REMOURBAN ran large-scale demonstrations in three lighthouse cities — Valladolid (Spain), Nottingham (UK), and Tepebasi/Eskisehir (Turkey) — covering more than 1,000 retrofitted dwellings and 190+ deployed electric vehicles. Two additional follower cities (Seraing, Belgium and Miskolc, Hungary) tested the replicability of the model.
Who owns the IP and can I license the tools or model?+
The consortium of 30 partners across 7 countries jointly developed the outputs. The project planned intense exploitation and market deployment strategies to support commercial use. Specific IP ownership and licensing terms would need to be discussed with the coordinator, FUNDACION CARTIF in Spain.
Does this comply with EU energy and building regulations?+
The project produced a standardization report and characterization report of European cities, both designed to align the model with existing regulatory environments. As an EU-funded Innovation Action under the Smart Cities and Communities call, compliance with EU energy efficiency directives was a core design requirement.
How long does implementation take for a new city?+
The project ran from January 2015 to June 2020 — roughly 5.5 years including model development, city-scale deployment, and evaluation. For a city adopting the ready-made replicability plan, implementation would be significantly shorter, though exact timelines depend on local conditions. The follower city replicability plans provide guidance on phased rollout.
Can this integrate with our existing city infrastructure?+
REMOURBAN was specifically designed to work within existing urban environments, retrofitting occupied buildings and integrating EVs into active transport networks. The ICT tools performance analysis and integrated urban plans address how the model connects with legacy city systems across energy, mobility, and digital infrastructure.
What citizen engagement is required to make this work?+
The project engaged more than 11,000 citizens across its demonstration cities and produced a dedicated report on social acceptance evaluation. Citizen buy-in was treated as a core success factor, not an afterthought, with a structured engagement strategy built into the model.
Consortium
Who built it
The REMOURBAN consortium is unusually large and industry-heavy: 30 partners across 7 countries, with 19 industrial partners (63% industry ratio) and 9 SMEs. This signals strong commercial intent — most partners are companies, not universities. The coordinator is FUNDACION CARTIF, a Spanish research foundation with deep smart-city expertise. The geographic spread across Spain, UK, Turkey, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, and Italy means the model has been stress-tested across very different regulatory, climate, and infrastructure environments. For a business looking to adopt or partner, this consortium offers a wide network of potential technology suppliers, implementation partners, and reference cities.
Want to know if REMOURBAN's urban regeneration model fits your city or portfolio? SciTransfer can arrange a briefing with the project team and help you assess replicability for your context.
