Case Studies

Digital Cities Challenge

How we provided the digital backbone for the European Commission’s city modernisation initiative that went from 41 European cities to 100 cities worldwide

Screenshot of the Digital Cities Challenge homepage on a tablet
Screenshot of the Digital Cities Challenge homepage on a laptop
Screenshot of the Digital Cities Challenge homepage on a mobile phone

Accelerating sustainable growth through advanced technologies 

The Digital Cities Challenge (DCC) was an initiative by the European Commission designed to accelerate digital transformation and industrial modernisation across 41 European cities. The success of DCC led to its expansion into the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC), which broadened its network, scope, and resources. WAAT was pivotal in supporting DCC with comprehensive digital solutions and was a key player in launching the ICC.

The brief: Support a network of city teams, consultants and stakeholders to collaborate efficiently 

Provide communications and digital support, including digital strategy, branding, and technology integration, for a complex project featuring over 100 stakeholders from public and private sectors across Europe.

Digital solutions: Engaging website and tools to strategic campaigns

  1. Website and tool development

    Designing and developing a user-friendly website and a self-assessment tool to facilitate project engagement.

  2. European-wide communication campaign

    Strategically devising and implementing a digital marketing campaign to engage cities and stakeholders across Europe.

  3. Visual identity and branding

    Crafting a cohesive visual identity that unified the project’s message and increased its visibility.

  4. Web and communications support

    Offering ongoing support for network management and event coordination.

Outcome

WAAT was instrumental in the Digital Cities Challenge success. The communication campaign that we ran at the start of the initiative generated so many applications that it resulted in the initiative being expanded from 15 cities to 41 cities at launch. And the successful collaboration we helped facilitate led to the expansion of the initiative through its successor, the Intelligent Cities Challenge. We were recognised for our contribution to the success of DCC by being installed as a lead partner in the ICC.