Istanbul uses Digital Twin technology to model energy use and solar potential in Kadıköy, showcasing renewable solutions with PV-integrated urban furniture.
Istanbul’s UP2030 pilot demonstrates how digital innovation and local design can accelerate the city’s path toward climate neutrality by 2030. The initiatives combine advanced data-driven decision tools with tangible, citizen-centered prototypes that make renewable energy visible and accessible in everyday life.
Developed in collaboration with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Middle East Technical University (METU), and ODTÜ-GÜNAM, two complementary solutions were piloted in the Kadıköy district: the UBEM AI-powered decision-support platform, which optimizes building energy renovation and positive energy district planning, and the PV-integrated urban furniture prototype, which brings renewable energy generation into public spaces. Together, they form a bridge between digital climate governance and on-site citizen engagement, advancing both technological and social dimensions of urban decarbonization.
Municipal departments, building owners, urban planners, researchers, and citizens - from technical experts using AI-driven data for energy planning to residents benefiting from free renewable energy access and public amenities.
Impact and Long Term Vision
Together, these prototypes show two sides of the same transformation: one digital, one physical. UBEM equips Istanbul with a science-based roadmap to modernize its building stock and reach net-zero by 2050, while the solar-powered furniture makes sustainability visible, participatory, and human-scaled. Through these innovations, Istanbul is turning data into action and technology into inclusion blending artificial intelligence, renewable design, and local craftsmanship to create a city that learns, adapts, and powers itself.
- Middle East Technical University (METU)
- Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (ODTÜ-GÜNAM)
- CIRCE-Centro Tecnológico
- Gruppo Maggioli (MAG)
- Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM)
- Middle East Technical University (METU)
- IMM Parks and Gardens & Energy Departments, Kadıköy Municipality
- ISTON
Developers of the UBEM/UBTEM AI decision tools.
Developers of the UBEM/UBTEM AI decision tools.
Responsible for the LCA module.
Developer of MIRA digital twin platform.
City lead and implementation partner.
Responsible for the design of urban furniture
Local integration, site selection, and support.
Producer of custom-designed 3D printed concrete urban furniture.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This project has received funding from the Horizon Innovation Actions under the grant agreement n° 101096405.