Portugal's Coimbra Project Models Sustainable Urbanism
The Coimbra ST LLM project in central Portugal is being highlighted as a model for creating "welcoming, sustainable and smart" urban destinations. The initiative emphasizes sustainable tourism, local community engagement, and digital innovation as core principles for regenerating historic neighborhoods.
- The project, officially titled "COIMBRA ST LLM," was the only Portuguese initiative selected out of 112 applications from 12 EU member states in the European Urban Initiative's third call for projects. - It has secured approximately €4.9 million in funding for its implementation, which is scheduled to run from December 2024 to May 2028. - A central feature is the development of a web portal that uses Large Language Models (LLM) and AI to process real-time city data, offering personalized itineraries to tourists. - The initiative aims to address challenges from tourism growth in the city's UNESCO World Heritage area, including issues of mobility and the quality of life for residents. - One of the project's specific, measurable goals is to increase the average tourist's stay by 20%, from 1.5 to 1.8 days. - A key partner, the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, is tasked with creating tools and mechanisms to upskill the local workforce for the sustainable tourism sector. - The project involves a wide consortium of partners including the Municipality of Coimbra, the University of Coimbra, the Coimbra Region's Intermunicipal Community, Turismo de Portugal, and several technology and innovation institutes. - Beyond the digital portal, the initiative will also establish a Labor Observatory for the tourism sector and develop a new international certification model for sustainable heritage destinations.
