In Barcelona, you can visit the tallest church in the world: the famous Sagrada Familia basilica. In Reus, 100 kilometers to the west, you can roam the city where its designer, Antoni Gaudí, was born. With a long history of commerce and entrepreneurship, this municipality of 112,000 is known today as a city of science and innovation that puts humanity at its center – not unlike the famed architect himself.

Broadband for Less

Fiber-to-the-home is standard across Reus. Subscribers enjoy some of the cheapest service in Europe, with 300-500 Mbps connections costing €10 to €25 per month from multiple carriers. 5G and 4G mobile networks are similarly dense, and Reus WiFi offers free public access on roads, at municipal facilities and across the municipal bus fleet.  With the private sector meeting connectivity needs, Reus has focused investment on smart city services. The city has established a Low Emission Zone to comply with national regulations. Across the municipality, a LoRaWAN network links pollution sensors, noise sensors and license plate readers to provide continuous monitoring of air quality, with the results available to citizens online. 

Targeting Opportunity

Reus faces the challenges of every city that is not a business or political capital: the brain drain of local talent to the bigger city and the need for advanced digital skills for employees and digital transformation for traditional business sectors. It has launched programs to attack the problems from multiple angles. The Mas Carandell Institute targets the unemployed, students preparing to enter the job market and their future colleagues and companies. It brings together government, educators, chambers and business organizations to assess market needs and regularly update training curricula. Those decisions feed through into vocational training, the design of personalized career pathways and a talent matching and job placement service with a 49% success rate. The services are provided from four Civic Centers and online. 

Innovation Engine

Innovation Engine REDESSA was created in 1994 by the city, universities, research centers and business associations as an innovation engine dedicated to economic development. Since then, it has launched technology incubators, the Foodtech & Nutrition Hub, an Engineering Cluster and an Innovation Office. 

Incubation takes place at four business centers at the Tecnoparc, which is also home to a university campus, a hospital and a research and technology center that, together, employ 1,700 people. In the first five years of operation, its startups have generated over €5 million in cumulative revenue. 

The Foodtech & Nutrition Hub is a public-private partnership of 77 companies serving the entire value chain of the agri-food sector with data analysis and projects including SOULFOOD, a technology solution that helps reduce food waste. Another partnership, the Engineering Cluster, launched in 2025 with 39 member companies. The Innovation Office advises on innovation, provides space for innovators and operates the Reus Urban Sandbox, a living lab where researchers and companies test technology offerings in real-world settings. 

From Inclusion to Participatory Budgeting

Reus has a growing population in need of help in adapting to a world of screens and digital interfaces. The Mas Carandell Institute offer courses in popular software, email, online shopping and how to complete local and national government procedures. More focused programs include “More Digital!” for older adults, funded by the Government of Catalonia, and ADA, which teaches more advanced digital skills to help unemployed women re-enter the workforce in quality jobs. The City Council provides self-guided training to help residents complete its digital processes, supported by in-person assistance available at all the city’s Civic Centers and Citizen Service Offices. 

These programs help citizens participate in making major city decisions. At the heart of the project is participa.reus.cat, a platform where citizens participate in drafting plans, local regulations and major projects as well as voting on budgets. Co-creation with municipal staff guides citizens from proposal through project plans and accountability reports to the public. To date, the platform has more than 7,000 active participants who have contributed to nearly 1,000 citizen proposals. 

Energy for the People

Facing high electricity costs from traditional sources, Reus has created a public-private supplier called Reus Energia, which installs and operates solar panels. An installation at the Agro-Reus Industrial Park is generating sufficient power at peak to supply the Park’s companies and sell surplus to the local grid. In 2026, the city launched the first neighborhood energy community to reproduce the Industrial Park model at the residential level, completed solar facilities at 10 out of a planned 27 municipal buildings. Altogether, Reus Energia is providing nearly 25 GWh of renewable energy per year, reducing the city’s GHG emissions and gaining greater control of costs. 

Like most Mediterranean communities, Reus is on the leading edge of climate change from extreme heat and alternating drought and flooding. To combat it, the city has transformed schoolyards at six public schools into green oases that provide shelter from heat. Large-scale planting of trees and shrubs, urban gardens and biodiverse meadows is restoring soil quality and providing space for wildlife. A sustainable urban drainage system is using reclaimed water to develop a 25,000 m2 pond and wetland that capture runoff before it can become floodwater. More than 2,500 citizens have taken an active role in these transformations through technical sessions, workshops and science projects. 

Led by a proactive and responsive government, Reus is building a diverse, tech-based economy that works to make sure all its people can participate in the opportunities of a connected world. 

Population: 112,000

Website: www.reus.cat/en

Smart21 2026