Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Group (APCG), exploiting the experience gained from SMURBS implementation was actively represented at the 1st FIRE Forum, hosted at the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC)’s annual EXPANDEO conference, on June 2021. With more than 500 attendees, the FIRE Forum aimed to pinpoint current and future opportunities for Earth observation (EO) uptake in six sectors: #agriculture, #energy (wind), #infrastructure, #marine, #raw materials, and urban development. During the 1st Parallel Session – Urban planning in the digital age – SMURBS Coordinator, Evangelos Gerasopoulos, who serves as the Urban Sector Lead for the FIRE Forum, introduced urban trends and served as a panelist engaging in a vivid discussion on the issues, challenges, opportunities and ways forward in the sector. Jennifer Bailey also served on the panel, further synthesizing the highlights of the session.