Municipality of Rotterdam · CIO Office · 2025–2028

RotterdamCitiverse

Rotterdam is internationally among the frontrunners in creating the basic conditions for the Citiverse, with the world's first Chief Citiverse Officer, and was a finalist for the European Capital of Innovation Awards in 2026. The Municipality of Rotterdam starts from a continuously interacting social, physical, and digital reality. Rotterdam Citiverse is a citizen-centred, socio-physical-digital ecosystem built on trust, interoperability, and inclusion.

What is the Citiverse? Get involved
Diagram of the Citiverse: social, physical and digital around the citizen
Definition

What is the
Citiverse?

The Citiverse is the rapidly evolving, digitally, socially and physically interwoven environment in which cities and communities live, express themselves and function, where physical, digital and social realities flow seamlessly into each other.

Rotterdam is developing a vision and strategy for tomorrow's city: a city that does not merely react to digital change, but actively shapes it, on the basis of public values, citizen participation, and open digital infrastructure.

Explore the building blocks
✦ Citiverse
Metaverse
Public & citizen-centred
vs
Private & tech-driven
Rooted in the physical city
vs
Virtual parallel world
Open standards & interoperability
vs
Closed platforms
Citizens own their data
vs
Corporate data ownership
Democratically governed
vs
Commercially driven

"Citi" — from citizen, not city. People first.

Core Values

Built on six
principles

Sustainability
Digital choices have consequences for tomorrow's world. Sustainability is a prerequisite, not an afterthought.
Inclusion
The digital city must be accessible to all Rotterdammers, regardless of background, age, or digital skill level.
Participation
Residents, businesses and organisations jointly shape the digital city. Co-creation is the default approach.
Open Standards
Interoperability and open standards prevent lock-in and ensure a level playing field for all participants.
Resilience
A resilient digital city withstands disruptions and adapts quickly to changing circumstances.
Digital Sovereignty
Rotterdam sets the rules for its own digital infrastructure, not Big Tech.
Thematic Agenda

Twelve building blocks

The Citiverse is developed along twelve thematic building blocks: the challenges Rotterdam faces, translated into opportunities for the digital city.

01
♻️
Circular Economy
Optimising urban resource flows and reducing waste through data-driven collaboration and digital technology to build a sustainable and resilient economy
02
🌊
Adaptive Infrastructure
Making vital infrastructure climate-resilient through smart monitoring, simulation, and adaptive management
03
⚓
Port Economy
Strengthening the port's competitive position through digital integration, real-time collaboration, and sustainable maritime innovation
04
🎓
Future of Education and Professional Skills
Narrowing the gap between the labour market and skills through digital learning environments and technological innovation
05
🌱
Youth-Led Innovation
Actively involving and empowering young people as co-creators of the city through digital participation and co-creation
06
🔑
Digital Identity and Autonomy
Developing secure and inclusive digital identity solutions that give residents control over their data
07
🛡️
(Cyber)security and Crime
Increasing the digital security and resilience of the city through smart detection, prevention, and security by design
08
🤝
Corporate Social Responsibility
Stimulating entrepreneurship that connects social impact and economic value through digital platforms and collaboration
09
❤️‍🩹
Preventative Healthcare
Promoting preventative care through data analysis and digital technology to improve health and reduce healthcare costs
10
🏛️
Citizen-Centric Public Services
Developing accessible, personalised, and co-creative public services using digital technology
11
🌳
Citizen-Centric (Digital) Public Space
Creating inclusive and livable public spaces through digital co-design and participatory urban development
12
🏙️
Sustainable Urban Development
Realising sustainable, data-driven urban growth that supports climate goals and makes optimal use of scarce space
Experiments & Research

Labs

Labs are the Citiverse's experimentation environments: places where ideas are tested, knowledge is built, and prototypes are developed.

🌍
x-CITE
EU project with Tampere, Flanders and Rotterdam: XR and AI for citizen participation and the school of the future.
Visit xcitecitiverse.eu →
📦
Application Ecosystem (area development)
App store on top of the Open Urban Platform: applications that communicate with each other and reuse data, applied to area development.
View the showcase on DigiHub010 →
🧑‍💻
(Digital) Humans & AI
Experiments at the intersection of AI and ethics, including 'digital human' Digiderius (based on Desiderius Erasmus).
Visit digiderius.com →
🔑
Digital Autonomy
Giving citizens maximum control over their own data through a reliable personal data vault for municipal services.
🎨
Digital Imagination for Co-creation
Research into AR/VR and 3D visualisations as tools for comprehensible co-creation with residents and businesses.
🎓
Future of Work & Skills
Digital learning environments and new skills preparing tomorrow's labour market for the digital city.
⚓
Port & City
Digital collaboration between port and city, focused on sustainable and competitive maritime innovation.
🛡️
Urban Resilience (in development)
New lab in development, focused on the digital resilience of the city.
❤️‍🩹
Care & Wellbeing (in development)
New lab in development, focused on digital technology for preventative care and wellbeing.
From exploring to collaborating
In Rotterdam Citiverse we explore how the social, physical and digital city reinforce each other. Through DigiHub010 you can discover, per lab, which partners, data, apps and digital twins are available, and how to get involved.
Four perspectives

Through which lenses
does the Citiverse look?

Every building block is examined from four angles that together provide an integrated view of the physical-social-digital city.

01
Digital Infrastructure, Governance & Compliance
The foundation: open standards, data exchange, privacy, security, and the governance structures that build trust.
02
Digital Economy
New business models, innovation opportunities for companies, and Rotterdam as an attractive location for the digital economy.
03
Digital Inclusion & Equality
No one left behind. Digital transformation must not widen the gap, it must close it.
04
Public Services
Better, faster, and more human-centred municipal services as the concrete result of digital transformation.
Planning 2025–2028

Programme
roadmap

2025 — Build
Laying the foundation
  • Identify and prioritise building blocks
  • Future Society Lab knowledge network operational
  • x-CITE international launch in Tampere
  • Web3.0 data vault prototype in development
  • OUP app store first PoC presented
  • First Digiderius experiments
2026 — Deepen
Experiment & learn
  • Develop building blocks with ecosystem partners
  • x-CITE experiments in full swing
  • Web3.0 second prototype and evaluation
  • App store expanded across multiple domains
  • Rotterdam Hackathon (mid 2026)
  • Launch new innovation labs
2027-2028 — Deliver
Vision & strategy 2.0
  • Final Rotterdam Citiverse vision delivered
  • Strategy endorsed by the Rotterdam ecosystem
  • x-CITE project completed
  • Shaping EU Citiverse definition
  • Replicable innovation process for municipalities
IN THE NEWS

Publications & media

Rotterdam Citiverse in (inter)national press, podcasts and research platforms.

Launch · Oct 2026
DigiHub010
DigiHub010 launched
The new showcase for Rotterdam Citiverse's labs: discover, per lab, which partners, data, apps and digital twins are available.
Visit DigiHub010 →
Article · 24 Sep 2026
Rotterdam Citiverse / TWINE
'Digital Identity & Autonomy' project expands into Europe
With TWINE (Twin-based Web Interoperable Network for Engagement), Rotterdam Citiverse connects digital twins of cities and regions with smart, cross-border services, together with Tampere, Flanders and European partners.
Read more about TWINE →
Article · 8 Sep 2026
Living-in.EU
Rotterdam explores the Citiverse to connect people and public services
How Rotterdam is using the Citiverse to bring residents and public services closer together.
Read article →
Document · Sep 2026
LinkedIn
Citiverse: View, Discuss, Experience! – Making informed public choices together
On how the Citiverse helps residents view, discuss, and experience public choices together.
View document →
Article · 20 Mar 2026
OverMathenesse
Walking through your own neighbourhood in 3D: Joris works on the digital future of Mathenesse
On the work behind a digital 3D version of the Mathenesse neighbourhood.
Read article →
Article · 5 Dec 2025
OverMathenesse
A digital city, with a Rotterdam heart
On the human side of Rotterdam's digital-city development.
Read article →
Article · 3 Dec 2025
OverMathenesse
Walking through a virtual neighbourhood: Mathenesse is being rebuilt in 3D
On how the Mathenesse neighbourhood is being digitally rebuilt so residents can walk through it virtually.
Read article →
Article · 30 Nov 2025
Forbes
Is The Citiverse About To Transform The Future Of Urban Innovation?
Jonathan Reichental on the rise of the Citiverse and what it means for the future of urban innovation.
Read article →
Article · 19 Dec 2025
RSM / Erasmus University
Reimagining the digital city: Rotterdam's digital twin is a human-centred future
Roland van der Heijden explains how Rotterdam is building an ecosystem where applications communicate with each other and data is shared across services.
Read article →
Pilot · 2025
x-CITE · EU Project
Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning — Rotterdam Pilot
Rotterdam is developing an interactive 3D tool allowing citizens to visualise urban projects, provide feedback, and access city services.
View pilot →
Factpage · 2025
European Commission
Citiverse — European Commission Digital Strategy
The European Commission published a factpage on the Citiverse as part of its digital strategy for smart, inclusive cities.
View factpage →
Podcast · 20 Oct 2025
Centre for BOLD Cities · Binnenlands Bestuur
BOLDCast S2E1: The Civil Servant — Roland van der Heijden
"Digitalisation is still an opportunity now, but wait too long and it becomes a threat." Roland van der Heijden on politics, digitalisation and the Citiverse.
Listen to podcast →
Podcast · 2025
Spotify
Rotterdam Citiverse on Spotify
Listen to the episode about Rotterdam Citiverse on Spotify and discover how the city is building a human-centred digital future.
Listen on Spotify →
Blog · 13 Apr 2025
Koneksa Mondo · Marco Derksen
From smart city to Citiverse: how Rotterdam is reinventing itself digitally
Marco Derksen analyses Van der Heijden's vision: digitalisation is 25% technology and 75% organisational culture, mindset and leadership.
Read blog →
Article · 2025
BABLE Smart Cities
Imagine the Citiverse: Rotterdam & Genova
BABLE Smart Cities highlights how Rotterdam and Genova are collaborating to shape the Citiverse concept in a European context.
Read article →
Update · 2026
DS4SSCC
DS4SSCC welcomes seven new pilots in fourth deployment round
Update on the fourth deployment round of the European DS4SSCC project (Data Spaces for Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities), which added seven new pilot cities.
Read more →
Page · 2026
ECDA · Erasmus University Rotterdam
Citiverse Rotterdam at the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics
The Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics (ECDA) at Erasmus University Rotterdam features the Rotterdam Citiverse.
View page →
Speaker profile · ITW 2026
Immersive Tech Week
Roland van der Heijden — Immersive Tech Week speaker profile
Speaker profile of Roland van der Heijden, Chief Citiverse Officer for the City of Rotterdam, at Immersive Tech Week.
View profile →
Document · Feb 2026
x-CITE · EU project
x-CITE D7.2 — Mid-term communications & dissemination report
Mid-term report on the x-CITE project's communication and dissemination results and impact, including the Rotterdam pilot.
View document →
Event · 11-12 May 2026
ITU — UN Virtual Worlds Day
UN Virtual Worlds Day 2026
Roland van der Heijden, Chief Citiverse Officer for the City of Rotterdam, speaks at the ITU's UN Virtual Worlds Day on a people-centred Citiverse.
View programme →
Event · 29 Jan 2025
TWIN4DEM · Erasmus University Rotterdam
TWIN4DEM's first public event
At TWIN4DEM's first public event, speakers including Roland van der Heijden (Rotterdam Citiverse) discussed digital twins, policymaking and democracy.
Read more →
Article · 28 May 2025
Future Insight
Rotterdam and Future Insight launch Open Urban Platform on international stage
At Imagine the Citiverse in Tampere, Rotterdam and Future Insight presented the Open Urban Platform, including a Rotterdam public-safety use case and a new international partnership.
Read article →
Article · 29 Oct 2025
Future Insight
Where data connects cities: Smart City Expo 2025
Future Insight invites visitors to Smart City Expo in Barcelona, including a Rotterdam project using sensor data to prepare the city for heat and flooding.
Read article →
Event · 11-12 Jun 2025
ITU — UN Virtual Worlds Day
UN Virtual Worlds Day 2025
Roland van der Heijden spoke at the first UN Virtual Worlds Day about the Rotterdam Citiverse and AI-powered virtual worlds.
View programme →
DOCUMENTS

Documents

Reports, vision documents and background papers to download.

PDF · July 2025
The Metaverse Institute
Rotterdam Citiverse Vision 2030
The physical, social and digital realms converge to enhance the quality of life for all.
Download PDF →
PDF · 2026
Thunderbird School of Global Management, ASU
To Rotterdam and Beyond
A stakeholder-informed case study on Rotterdam for the U4SSC Working Group 6's Digital Development Goals for Cities.
Download PDF →
PDF · book
Pim van Meer & Armando Pais do Amaral
#DankAandeNerds — Pioneers & Flagbearers
A tribute to pioneering work in digitalisation, data and automation (Dutch-language).
Download PDF →
PDF · Sep 2026
Rotterdam, Tampere, Valencia & Lighthouse Association
Citiverse: View, Discuss, Experience!
Citiverse for resilient cities — making informed public choices together, with practical examples from Rotterdam, Tampere and Valencia.
Download PDF →
MEDIA

Videos

Demos, explainers and recordings from the Citiverse labs.

Rotterdam Citiverse
Unreal demo visualises the effects of heat stress and flooding
AR Playgrounds
Lab 'Digital Imagination for Co-creation'
Urban platforms: How Rotterdam is preparing for an increasingly digital society
Society 5.0 congress, Capgemini
Open Urban Platform: how it works
Municipality of Rotterdam launches the Rotterdam Open Urban Platform
Open Urban Platform: launch
EVENTS

Events

Events where Rotterdam Citiverse takes part or that it organises itself.

Network & Collaboration

Rotterdam does not
work alone

Rotterdam Citiverse is an ecosystem of partners: local, national and international.

Erasmus University Rotterdam
Hogeschool Rotterdam
TU Delft
Future Insight
Veldacademie
Zadkine
Woonstad Rotterdam
Safety Region Rotterdam
Future Society Lab
OASC
EDIC-NLDT
City of Tampere (FI)
Flanders (BE)
Urban Innovators Global
Metaverse Institute London
Eurocities Digital Forum
UN/ITU Citiverse
Get Involved

Build with us towards the city and society of the day after tomorrow

Are you a business, knowledge institution, social organisation, or engaged Rotterdammer? Join the Citiverse: as a partner, researcher, or experiment participant.

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