Text: Julia Pfeffer and Jonas Merbeth, DKSR. Images: Julia Pierzina, K8, created with Midjourney AI.
How can cities and regions accelerate the development of Local Digital Twins when every pilot is working on a different challenge?
One answer is simple: exchange and learn from each other. Between March and July 2026, partners from the eight T4R pilot regions came together in a series of cluster meetings to exchange experiences, discuss practical challenges, and explore how LDTs can support more resilient, data-driven decision-making. Moderated by DKSR, these sessions became much more than regular project meetings. They created a space for peer learning across North-West Europe. While each pilot has its own priorities, many of the underlying questions are remarkably similar. How can different data sources be connected? Which technologies are most suitable for a specific use case? And how can digital tools support better decisions for cities, regions, and their citizens?
Different challenges, shared solutions
One inspiring example came from Leiedal, which presented its approach to integrated territorial planning. By combining GIS, BIM, 3D building models, and databases containing information on public assets such as trees, benches, and other urban infrastructure, Leiedal demonstrated how different digital tools can work together within one integrated environment. Their visualisations gave partners a concrete understanding of how Local Digital Twins can support long-term spatial planning. Leiedal also enocuraged partners to make their exisiting visualisations avaiable in a shared database, that is now being actively used.
Energy (and its monitoring and steering) is a hot topic in many regions across Europe. Schuttrange shared how sensor data, smart meters, and geospatial information can be combined to monitor energy demand and consumption across the municipality. Beyond the technical solution itself, the discussion focused on how similar approaches could be adapted by other pilot regions facing comparable challenges. Climate resilience also featured prominently. VMM presented its approach to monitoring water overflows by combining real-time sensor data with weather forecasts. The resulting visualisations help identify flooding risks during extreme weather events and demonstrate how Local Digital Twins can strengthen preparedness and support evidence-based decision-making. VMM's knowledge of sensors and IoT in the domain of environment and water management was also used by others: VMM shared their experiences with different hard- and software, gave advice about do's and dont's and offered support as experts.
Image: Usecase Flemish Environment Agency: Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs)
Looking beyond technology
The exchange was not limited to technical solutions. Amsterdam shared its governance approach for Netherlands 3D, highlighting that successful Local Digital Twins require not only robust technology but also strong collaboration between organisations, stakeholders, and users. Meanwhile, Dublin showcased several mature digital solutions already in operation. For example its Digital Twin approach for the Docklands and its Active Mobility Dashboard, that is visualising pedestrian and cycling flows in an intuitive way. The presentations lead to valuable discussions about how mobility data can support more informed planning decisions. Across all sessions, one message became increasingly clear: although every pilot is developing its own Local Digital Twin, many of the challenges (and many of the solutions) are shared.
Building a stronger community of practice
The Interreg programme is all about cooperation and developing things jointly. One of the greatest benefits of the cluster meetings has been the opportunity to openly exchange experiences, ask questions, and learn from approaches developed in other regions. Instead of working in isolation, partners are building on each other's knowledge, discovering new perspectives, and identifying ideas that can be adapted to their own local context. This collaborative approach lies at the heart of Twin4Resilience. By connecting cities, regions, and experts across North-West Europe, the project is helping to transform individual pilot experiences into shared knowledge that benefits the entire consortium. Following the positive feedback from partners, the Project Management Team has decided to continue the cluster meetings throughout the second half of 2026. As the pilot regions move from planning towards implementation, these exchanges will continue to strengthen collaboration and support the shared ambition of making Local Digital Twins more practical, scalable, and impactful for cities and regions across Europe.