Technology
Brussels Launches 50+ Smart City Projects to Meet 2030 Targets
The March 2023 strategy outlines more than 50 initiatives while regional plans await redefinition through Paradigm's integration into BOSA Brussels.
How we reported this
The City of Brussels launched its Smart City strategy in March 2023 with a 2030 horizon that includes a roadmap of over 50 projects across seven policy areas and five fundamental pillars.
The suspension of the Brussels-Capital Region's earlier six-pillar plan has left new regional initiatives on hold. Officials are waiting for the integration of Paradigm into BOSA Brussels before any fresh regional work can proceed. This shift leaves the city-level strategy as the main active framework for the coming years.
Named Projects Shaping Current Work
BRUCE serves as the integrated privacy-compliant platform for resident services. Response targets energy-positive neighborhoods. Twin4Resilience develops digital twins of the city. MolenGeek Laken, the AI project inaugurated in September 2024, adds a neighborhood-level technology component. These efforts sit alongside the separate €50 million investment over five years in smart traffic management that deploys adaptive lights and real-time parking sensors.
Traffic upgrades aim to cut commute times by 15 percent and reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2026. The projects operate under the city strategy document hosted at https://be.brussels/en/about-region/values-budget-and-strategy/strategy-and-policy-priorities/projects-political-priorities/brussels-urban-development-strategy/brussels-smart-city-strategy.
Grant Round Supports Data Focus
In 2024 the city ran its seventh Smart City call for projects under the theme Data Driven Smart City. The round offered a total budget of €80,000 with individual grants capped at €50,000. Details appear on the project portal at https://smartcity.brussels.be/projects?page=1.
Developers and neighborhood groups can track updates through the listed city channels for any follow-on calls tied to the existing roadmap. The traffic and platform projects continue to advance under the 2030 timeline regardless of the regional pause.