The REPLICATE project will generate smart city business models, and tailor-made solutions in the areas of energy, transport and ICT. There will be pilot actions in energy efficiency, efficient and sustainable transport and integrated infrastructures.

The key to the project’s approach is in recognising the inherent complexity of urban challenges and the distinctiveness of individual cities. It advocates innovative approaches to citizenship, with the aim of involving citizens as stakeholders at all stages of its activities to help co-create appropriate solutions and services which celebrate and work successfully with the characteristics and context of each individual metropolitan area in each lighthouse and follower cities.

The lead and follower cities are of similar sizes but reflect different geographical contexts. Over 36% of European cities have between 100,000-500,000 inhabitants. San Sebastián (Spain), Florence (Italy) and Bristol (United Kingdom) as lead cities, and Essen (Germany), Lausanne (Switzerland) and Nilüfer (Turkey) as the follower cities, offer a good distribution of population between 180,000 to 550,000 around this highly representative range. The REPLICATE project will demonstrate how these cities can successfully reproduce effective smart services by identifying their strengths and working closely with citizens to ensure the appropriateness of solutions and maximising uptake.