Delivering on the 5G promise of increased data rates, and ubiquitous coverages, poses stringent requirements on traditional vertically integrated operators. In particular, telecom operators are expected to massively roll out Small Cells, which requires finding appropriate urban spaces with both backhaul and energy availability. Network sharing becomes essential to unlock those commercial massive deployments. The open access model, or neutral host, will come to play a key role on the deployment of 5G networks, especially in urban scenarios where very dense Small Cell deploymens are required. In parallel recent trends are paving the way towards the development of new, heterogeneous and distributed cloud paradigms that significantly differ from today’s established cloud model: with edge computing, cloud architectures are pushed all the way to the edge of the network, close to the devices that produce and act on data. We posit that there are two sets of players perfectly poised to take advantage of both trends since they already own the infrastructure needed to build edge deployments: telecommunication providers and municipalities. 5GCity focuses on how common smart city infrastructure (i.e.,small cells and processing power at the very edge of networks) can bring benefit to both players based on resource sharing and end-to-end virtualization, pushing the cloud model to the extreme edge. 5GCity will design, develop, deploy and demonstrate a distributed cloud and radio platform for municipalities and infrastructure owners acting as 5G neutral hosts. 5GCity’s main aim is to build and deploy a common, multi-tenant, open platform that extends the (centralized) cloud model to the extreme edge of the network, with a demonstration in three different cities (Barcelona, Bristol and Lucca). 5GCity will directly impact a large and varied range of actors: (i) telecom providers; (ii) municipalities; and (iii) a number of different vertical sectors utilizing the city infrastructure

SMILE CITY provides realistic circular systemic solutions to support the evolution towards a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable, toxic-free, circular economy by 2050. The contribution to C02 reduction works on two levels: - an intensive use of recycled materials in replacement of virgin ones, without decreasing the performance of final products; - the use of such products and applications to increase sustainable mobility. The project aims to integrate innovative systemic solutions in up to 100 km of cycling paths and implement 20 e-bike charging stations, developed using different types of recycled urban waste: construction materials, EoL tyres and EoL batteries from Electric Vehicles. The foreseen innovations include the creation of e-bike charging stations made of recycled concrete precast elements and PV panels equally produced with recycled materials, the installation of recycled rubber moulded products for urban furniture such as rubber bollard, lane dividers, and rubberized asphalt, which contributes both to increase sustainability and safety. SMILE CITY will thus assemble the technological state of the art of the different value chains involved to implement circular systemic solutions in 7 different EU and non-EU countries, backing the transition towards a regenerative, inclusive and circular economy at local and regional scale across Europe and therefore boosting interregional and cross-border cooperation. In addition, the project will also increase resource efficiency, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy and reduce the negative environmental footprint related to current recycling techniques of the considered urban waste value chains. By supporting awareness raising and information spreading, SMILE CITY will engage both citizens and industrial leaders in the green transition towards climate-neutral solutions for Circular Cities, bolstering the market uptake of circular solutions through regional and local actions. Two partners are CCRI members.

‘SUMP-PLUS’ is a three-year RIA, designed to address urban mobility related challenges and to exploit new opportunities, by developing a strong, rigorous evidence base through a co-created City Laboratories approach (to be demonstrated in different EU cities) building on the strengths of the existing SUMPs and SULPs. SUMP-PLUS will develop and apply transition pathways towards more sustainable cities taking into account the need to establish stronger links with other urban system components. It has 4 primary policy objectives: 1. To develop and apply a set of context-specific mobility transformation pathways that will enable cities to map out a practical implementation pathway. 2. To demonstrate how cities can develop stronger links with other urban system components (education, health, retail, land use planning, etc.) - while taking into account disruptive technological and contextual developments - so that urban mobility and accessibility can be delivered more comprehensively, efficiently and effectively. 3. To identify new solutions that will increase efficiency and sustainability, in both the freight and passenger sectors. 4. To identify and demonstrate new partnerships and business models that enable various mobility objectives to be met cost-effectively through appropriate public/private sector partnerships These objectives will be met and demonstrated through a programme of trials and comprehensive evaluation, in six co-created City Laboratories. This requires achieving 4 operational objectives: developing appropriate urban governance arrangements and advanced analytics; extensive stakeholder engagement and co-creation of outputs; producing enhanced SUMP-PLUS guidance matching the different needs and maximising impact through a targeted range of dissemination, capacity building, knowledge transfer and legacy exploitation activities.

Four peripheral small and medium size cities (SMSCs) - Cordoba (Spain), Riga (Latvia), Lucca (Italy) and Nitra (Slovakia) – will take the leadership to test visionary and integrated solutions to foster Inclusive Health and Wellbeing (IHW) in SMSCs with a focus on gender and diversity. IN-HABIT visionary approach consists on the innovative mobilization of existing undervalued resources (culture, food, human-animal bonds and environment) to increase IHW. The integrated approach is based on the combination of technological, digital, nature based, cultural, and social innovations in selected urban public spaces. These solutions will be co-designed, co-deployed and co-managed with and by local stakeholders. The effects on mental health, wellbeing and healthier lifestyles of these solutions will be evaluated and a sound scalable evidence-base and monitoring framework delivered. A systemic urban planning framework will be developed based on innovative gender and diversity approaches to boost IHW that will represent a unique reference for SMSCs. IN-HABIT will base its actions on underserved areas and vulnerable target groups existing in each city (such as, children, elders, women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities), and on the integration of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ visionary solutions articulated around heritage and culture (as a nexus for inclusive societies), food (nurturing daily healthier lifestyles), animals (human-animal bonds as new relational urban goods) and art and environment (to connect places and people). Bogotá city will share know-how and replicate experiences. These actions have attracted the interest to be replicated by other twin-cities and networks of cities, that have shown their interest in establishing synergies with IN-HABIT and replicating actions. IN-HABIT is an ambitious but achievable project in the 5 years lifetime proposed.