The city of Murcia is beginning the city-wide installation of smart street signs based on NaviLenstechnology. According to the Ayuntamiento de Murcia the contracts were awarded in mid-February 2026 at the Junta de Gobierno ; production and installation are now getting under way in stages and are expected to cover the entire urban area in the coming months.
According to the city council, this will make Murcia the first municipality in Spain to equip all its streets with these signs. The main aims are to improve accessibility and make city information easy to access. The coloured NaviLens markers can be automatically detected by smartphone cameras from several metres away, without having to focus on the code. This makes it easier for people with visual impairments in particular to find their way around public spaces.
A mobile app can scan the code to retrieve, among other things, the street’s official name, historical information about the surrounding area and real-time information from the urban environment. The content is to be available in around thirty languages and linked to existing city data platforms. The city points to a dual benefit: helping residents find their way and providing visitors with better access to information.
The project has been several years in the making: initial installations have been trialled in parts of the city since 2020. With the contracts now awarded, the system is being extended across the entire city centre and the Pedanías According to city documents, the project includes not only physical signage but also software licences, integration with existing systems and maintenance. Co-funding from EU funds through the recovery instrument Next Generation EU is planned.
Questions remain unresolved about the detailed timetable for each district, the precise split between EU funding and the municipal budget, and the evaluation criteria. The tender and project documents available contain no robust requirements for regularly measuring and publishing the system’s impact, use and maintenance.
Regional media such as elDiario.es and Cadena SER Murcia reported the announcement on 19 August. The city says it sees the rollout as part of a broader digital strategy. Its long-term value will depend on how reliably content is maintained, made accessible and updated in everyday use – and whether the system remains equally available in every neighbourhood beyond the initial phase.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).