Looking for a way to improve city infrastructure while reducing air pollution? Carsharing may be the solution. Smart Car sharing companies like Germany-based car2go are not only removing up to 11 vehicles for every car used, they're also saving up to 14 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases per vehicle. Germany alone has built up a smart car customer base of over 1 million people since car2go launched back in 2009.
Skies may soon be safer, however, thanks to a world-first Radio Positioning System RPS) for drones, allowing air traffic control to track drones in real time. Recently unveiled in a trial in Isla Mayor, a town in the province of Seville, Spain, this IoT-based tracking technology may be the key to developing new pan-European rules to regulate the operation of drones.
The Czech Republic’s second-largest city, Brno, sits in the center of the South Moravian Region and is home to nearly 400,000 inhabitants. With a prime position in Central Europe between the forested Bohemian-Moravian highlands and South Moravia lowlands, Brno offers both a beautiful natural environment, as well as an excellent infrastructure for business.
Santander, the capital of Spain’s autonomous region on the northern coast of Spain, was once home to a royal summer residence and still seeks to showcase this “aristocratic atmosphere” while providing visitors and citizens with another view: waste-free streets. Below, we’ll take a look at how this summer tourist destination is getting savvy when it comes to strengthening its waste collection services, making it a more liveable city and inspiring leader for the rest of Spain to follow.
The Slovak capital is now looking to improve energy efficiency with a pilot project revolving around nearly zero energy building renovation models. Not only does the city want to reduce energy consumption, it wants to build a sustainable environment in which buildings are interconnected with public space, green areas and sustainable mobility, such as mass public transport.
The historic city of Helmond in North Brabant in the southern Netherlands was one of the first cities to adopt intelligent lighting technology as a way to solve its challenges as a growing industrial hub, becoming more sustainable in the process by saving energy. Let’s dive deeper into why this Dutch city decided to become a pioneer in the intelligent street lighting movement and some of the immediate benefits they’ve seen in the process.
Europe’s third-smallest state, San Marino, is poised to be the first in the continent to roll out a 5G network. The 61-square-kilometer microstate, encompassed by Italy, will serve as a living lab for the network’s services, launching public safety systems, digital tourism initiatives, and smart city deployments
Ten medium-sized European cities—including Bruges, Delft and Mechelen—have partnered up with Cambridge Cleantech to develop solutions for urban environment challenges revolving around one main concept: open data. Here’s how these cities are looking at public service information in a new way, tapping into a market estimated to have a €300 billion value to tackle issues from parking to air quality.
In today’s world, communication via social media is sometimes even preferred over a standard phone call, as people share everything from life updates to photos via platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media is one easy, cost-efficient tool cities are turning to as a way to communicate with previously disengaged citizens, as well as assess public opinion, conversing with citizens and looking to their feedback as a source to improve public services.
The French city is joining forces with surrounding towns to embark on a €105 million information technology project that will improve city operations while helping save money on street lighting, traffic management and public safety. Working together with EDF's Citelum—as well as major French companies like Bouygues, Suez and Capgemini—the city plans to connect services like lighting through open data and smart city apps, thereby saving up to 65 percent in public lighting costs.
With Chisinau hosting over half of the country’s urban population, the city faces a number of social and environmental challenges. Here’s how the capital is rising to the occasion, developing infrastructure and services that are moving it in the direction of smart city status.
As a signatory of the Green Digital Charter, Malmö is already helping cities achieve EU climate goals through sustainable IT, setting an example right at home with an infrastructure that “reduces the environmental impact of technology and also city operations as a whole,” according to TCO Certified.
Cities are getting smarter when it comes to using technology as part of a daily routine. Payments for everything from rental bikes to parking meters can easily be made with the tap of app or SMS. But just because cities are becoming more connected and smarter regarding technology, it doesn’t make them any less hackable than computers and smartphones. Europe has a history of hacking, and smart cities are just as much at risk if they don’t have a budget to protect investments in civic technology.
As one of the leading smart cities in Spain, Valencia has introduced a few firsts in the country, including the integration of a smart city management platform. Now with a budget of over 1 billion euros, Valencia is undergoing a transformation to become a centre of urban innovation on par with some of the continent’s most progressive smart cities.
Rolling out in capitals like London, solar-powered smart benches take a normal piece of city furniture and make it something more than just a place to rest your weary legs. Smart benches offer passers-by modern-day conveniences like mobile charging and Wi-Fi access while collecting environmental data that can be used by local authorities.
Austria’s fourth-largest city, Salzburg, may be known for its charming medieval and baroque buildings (as well as being the birthplace of famous composer Mozart), but the city is making a name for itself in the region as a leader in Smart Grids and electric mobility. Home to a population of nearly 150,000 people, this mid-sized city is making a major impact in terms of climate protection projects and emission-reducing solutions.
As a way to tackle urban environmental challenges and share common practices, Finland’s six largest cities—Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku—have partnered up to form a platform dubbed “The Six City Strategy.”
In an effort to solve public problems and promote sustainable development, Cluj-Napoca is boosting “economic engines” in the creative industries and university sector. Let’s take a look at how Romania’s second city is stepping up as a technology hub that’s been nicknamed the “Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe.”
Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana, is considered one of the most liveable cities on the globe, with a series of ground-breaking projects that have helped earn it the title of European Green Capital back in 2016. After taking on this role, Ljubljana continues to thrive as an example of sustainability, spearheading movements like the digitalization of bus stops in the city center.
The city of 3 million has developed a hub whose main goal is to inspire leaders and agents of change continue the development of both Kiev and Ukraine. In addition to creating a healthy city environment that caters to (and fosters) innovation, the city is looking for one key component to drive forward development: its citizens.
Now Namur, once labeling itself as a “digital gateway,” is looking to earn another title: smart city. A new project in the historic centre is operating as a “living lab,” where citizens can gather and collaborate on creative projects. Here are a few of the ways Namur is working toward a sustainable revolution in the region, one solution at a time.
As the country’s largest city continues to grow, it’s looking to achieve the title of “green capital” and become a model of sustainable development. As part of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2012-2020, Sofia is laying down a series of steps to help with everything from energy management to transport and waste management—and looking to technologies from around the globe to aid the process.
Essen has transformed itself from a mining city of coal and steel into the third greenest in Germany. By working with partners to implement a highly replicable, integrated environmental management system.
In the UK, air pollution is the cause of nearly 40,000 deaths each year and contributes to serious, long-term health issues for hundreds of thousands of people. Declared a national crisis, London mayor Sadiq Khan is looking to improve quality of life for Londoners by preventing air pollution—starting with traffic in Central London. The mayor is extending the city’s low emission zone to cover a wider span of London, extending from the center to the North and South Circular roads.
Plenty of positive change is underway in the Polish city of Krakow, the capital of the Malopolska Region. This science and education hub that’s home to 23 higher education institutions and 180,000 students has been stepping up its game to become a more modern—and green—city for citizens to live in. Start-ups and incentive companies are moving headquarters to post-industrial areas and infrastructure is improving thanks to the construction of the first subway line.
The region of Murcia along Spain’s Costa Cálida is known for its balmy weather, boasting over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, as well as picture-perfect beaches that double as open-air spas. The university city of Murcia—and region’s capital—is home to nearly 440,000 inhabitants and is slowly gaining a reputation as more than a resort locale.
The Smart Cities Council is preparing to launch the Smart Cities Project Activator -- an innovative, web based solution, that brings cities, solutions providers and investors together to more quickly scope — and finance — smart cities projects. Learn how.
The small city of Alba Iulia in central Romania is undergoing big changes, attracting the most European funds in the country for projects that are helping to seriously boost tourism. First on the list: the restoration of the 18th century Alba Carolina citadel. Twenty projects alone were devoted to rejuvenating the tourist attraction, and now the city is using the rest of its regional development funding to improve infrastructure, building roads, bike paths and additional tourist attractions.
In Germany, the “car capital” of Stuttgart—one of the most polluted cities in the country—continuously reached levels of 82 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air, more than double the EU’s allowed limit. Covered in a blanket of smog, Stuttgart is now referred to as Germany’s “Beijing” because of its air pollution.
Milano è una delle poche città cosmopolite a investire miliardi di euro nei suoi quartieri più trascurati, nell’ambito di un piano di modernizzazione che renderà la città più attraente e sostenibile che mai. Il nome è CityLife Park e l’ispirazione per questo nuovo concetto proviene dai paesaggi della Lombardia, con un design unico volto a divenire un “parco fra le montagne e la pianura”.
Milan is one of a handful of cosmopolitan cities thrusting billions of euros into neglected neighbourhoods as part of a modernization plan that will make the city more attractive—and sustainable—than ever. Dubbed CityLife Park, the inspiration for this new concept comes from the landscapes of the Lombardy region, with a design inspired to serve as “a park between the mountains and the plain.”
Out of 20 cities evaluated in the UK Smart Cities Index, Leeds placed fifth in terms of smart health initiatives. Thanks to its long-term growth strategy “Getting Leeds Working,” Yorkshire’s largest city has created an Innovation Health Hub that acts as an open platform for healthcare data, which is being used in initiatives such as an innovation lab, health-related mobile applications, a digital teleconferencing centre, and a clinical training and simulation centre.
As part of the Smart Dublin strategy, the city is looking to provide better services, improve economic activity, and increase collaboration and engagement—and the citizens are the key to achieving these goals. Four local authorities are teaming up with the community to solve some of the city’s more puzzling challenges, transforming Dublin into an even more attractive place to live and work for generations to come.
While Trondheim is emerging as Norway’s tech hub and gaining attention for innovative solutions like Wireless Trondheim, a network that drives progress testing future technologies and hardware development, the city is now making a mark in the transportation sector—specifically with its public bus system. With the introduction of an electric bus project, the city plans to go fossil fuel-free by 2019. L
Outre l'adoption d'une politique de traitement des eaux usées pour produire de l'énergie à partir de celles-ci, la ville a également développé une politique de mobilité qui met l'accent sur l'utilisation croissante d'un réseau de transports propres. Lille prévoit de remplacer 20 à 40 % de l'énergie dédiée au transport routier par des véhicules fonctionnant au biogaz, permettant ainsi d'éviter l'émission de près de 120 000 tonnes d'oxyde d'azote par an.
In addition to developing a wastewater treatment policy generating energy from wastewater, the city has also designed a mobility policy that focuses on the increased use of a clean transportation system. Lille plans to replace 20 to 40 percent of the energy for road transport with biogas-powered vehicles, saving nearly 120,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide per year.
Karlsruhe, the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg, has had a three-prong plan in place since 2012. Working together with the administration, public and relevant companies, Karlsruhe developed the framework for a sustainable urban mobility system that not only highlights transportation development, it also ensures equal mobility opportunities for everyone in the city.
When the city served as European Green Capital 2011, it reduced carbon emissions by 2 million tonnes, compared with 2007. Now Hamburg is hoping to cut carbon emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050, in addition to significantly reducing both sewage and municipal waste. With the launch of electrically powered garbage trucks, the city can achieve both goals and improve air quality while transporting trash up to 27 tonnes.-Bruno De Man
The Principality of Monaco measures just two square kilometres in size yet boasts a population of nearly 38,000—in addition to 30,000 workers who cross the border daily from France and Italy. Over the past 150 years, Monaco has expanded its size by 20%, tacking on an additional 40 hectares by extending the Port Hercules and developing the industrially driven Fontvieille district, built from reclaimed land along the coastline.
At Smart Cities Week Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, California, one of the highlighted themes at this year’s conference was modern mobility and how city leaders can help “develop a roadmap for smart transportation.” Let’s look closer into this concept and examine some of the solutions already underway across Europe.
For most of this decade, Germany’s capital city of Berlin has been seen as something of a Bitcoin hub, with a number of early adopters in the artsy Kreuzberg neighbourhood accepting the top cryptocurrency since it first sprung up. Now, crypto-associated startups and investors are hoping to make virtual currencies more mainstream and accessible to average consumers, honing in on the development of one type of technology in particular: Blockchain.
If Europe replaced its current streetlight infrastructure with smart lamps, it could save taxpayers up to €2.1 billion per year. At the moment, Europe spends nearly €3 billion on street lighting—a sum that could be translated to other public services like employing tens of thousands of doctors or nurses.
The city of Hincesti, which lies 33 kilometres west of Moldova’s capital Chisinau, has a population of just over 12,000, yet this small-sized city is poised for major change. Plans for digitalization are underway in Hincesti thanks to a series of smart initiatives transforming this emerging economy in Eastern European into a “connected city.” Let’s take a look at some of the solutions underway in Hincesti and how other small-sized cities can follow their lead.
Seen as the “smart city evolution,” Mantua has dubbed itself Italy’s first “Phygital City,” connecting physical and digital experiences residents can have. So what does this mean exactly? The 2016 Italian Capital of Culture, with the help of fabbricadigitale (the Italian IT company behind Telecom Italia’s digital experience at the Expo 2015), is working with big data-based, advanced machine learning technologies that can analyse smart city information in real time.
As cities across Europe from Paris to London are starting to announce car bans in an effort to tackle urban pollution, electric vehicles are stepping into the spotlight as a smart solution. But this is only one solution in terms of sustainability. Towns such as Birmingham are investing in more progressive projects like sustainable railways, while Hamburg and Lisbon are working with the World Business Council For Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to develop sustainable transportation solutions.
Sarajevo is home to 275,000 residents, and like most cities looking to become smarter, it faces one big constraint: finance. So how does a city dealing with technical debt and remnants of war rise from its ruins and rebuild as a technology-driven smart city? For Sarajevo, the answer may be in its youth. Let’s take a look at how the new generation may help pull the city out of its war-torn past thanks to a wealth of innovation and app-driven solutions.
By transforming non-recyclable waste into “green” methanol, the facility will help lower carbon emissions by creating a raw material that can be used to replace fossil fuels, offering clean energy to fuel the chemical industry and transportation sector. Let’s take a look at how this facility—which is the first of its kind in Europe—will be revolutionary for Rotterdam.
Before 5G mobile data service debuts in the UK, residents in up to 5 million homes will already reap the benefits of high-speed Internet at a lower cost. Aberdeen, the third-most populated city in Scotland and the country’s “technological heart,” will be the second spot in the UK to make the transition to “full fibre” broadband Internet, switching out copper cables connected to roadside cabinets for fibre-optic ones running right to the buildings themselves.
Open data is one of the key elements when it comes to building a smart city and improving urban life. While open data can be seen as a gold mine in terms of driving forward smart initiatives, it can also pose a risk, with cities becoming just as hackable as smartphones and computers. Cities in Europe will have to re-evaluate the way they use open data once the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into play this spring.
Janvier 2018 a marqué l'anniversaire de la "Grande Inondation de Paris" de 1910, l'une des pires catastrophes naturelles de la ville. La Seine s'est élevée de près de 8 mètres, causant 1,2 milliard d'euros de dégâts, transformant la ville en Venise française et forçant des milliers de personnes à évacuer les rues transformées en canaux détruisant les infrastructures de base. La capitale française n'était pas préparée pour faire face à une telle catastrophe qui dura deux mois.
Last month marked the anniversary of the 1910 “Great Flood of Paris,” one of the worst natural disasters to hit the city. The Seine rose nearly 8 metres, causing $1.5 billion worth of damage (in today’s terms), transforming the city into a French Venice and forcing thousands to evacuate as streets morphed into canals that destroyed basic infrastructure. At that point in time, the French capital was unprepared in terms of handling such a crisis, which lingered for two months.
The principality of Monaco is the second smallest and most densely populated country in the world, with 36,000 residents living in the 2-square-kilometre city state. Despite its small size—or perhaps because of it—Monaco is faced with similar environmental challenges as many other cities across Europe
One of 32 council areas of Scotland, Renfrewshire sits in the west central Lowlands, bordered by the Firth of Clyde and River Clyde. With nearly 176,000 residents, this council area is the 10th most populous in Scotland and may help propel a wave of housing reformation thanks to a new Internet of Things (IoT) initiative, which can help save local authorities millions of pounds on property management and repair bills.
In Poland, 33 of its cities rank among the 50 most polluted in Europe. The town of Rybnik in southwestern Poland, for example, ranks fourth on WHO’s list of most polluted cities in Europe, with air pollution being an issue for one-third of the year causing schools to close and more hospital visits linked to respiratory issues. Thanks to a new pollution sensor unveiled last month, cities may be able to measure and improve air quality in a quicker and more efficient fashion.
While Iceland falls into the top 50 percent of countries by geographical size, most of its population of 329,000 is centred in and around the capital, Reykjavik. Iceland is proving, however, that having a small population can be used to a country’s advantage, pulling together and becoming more resourceful when it comes to utilizing the latest technology.
The city is becoming known as an economically developed centre of knowledge, technologies and innovation. In 2010, Jelgava set forth a goal to become a modern and sustainable environment by increasing the use of renewable energy sources, improving the transportation sector and promoting energy efficiency.
With the redevelopment of former harbours like Helsinki’s Smart Kalasatama, and projects like Interactive Cities, where Genova is leading the way with digital developments that impact city governance, both EU cities could benefit from Google Urbanism and its plan to “think about a city from the Internet up.”
Certaines villes ont commencé à proposer des applications de partage d'espaces de stationnement. Dans le sud de la France, cependant, Montpellier se tourne vers les systèmes connectés d'Internet des objets (Internet of Things ou IoT) pour créer des espaces de stationnement intelligents.
Montpellier in the South of France is looking to the Internet of Things-connected systems to develop on-street smart parking spaces. Let’s take a closer look at the project underway and how it will help reduce traffic congestion and save drivers time all with the help of Montpellier’s LoRaWAN private network.
Welcome to the world of digital identity, a way to ensure identification isn’t being forged. This spring, the tiny town of Zug in Switzerland may be the first to offer citizens a digital identity with a blockchain technology-based app. Let’s take a look at the benefits this “digital passport” could offer citizens while strengthening Zug’s security measures and saving money in the long run.
Each year heralds in a new wave of predictions when it comes to the trends and technology that will be sweeping over smart cities—and developing new ones. In 2017, European cities saw the rise of smart city solutions like electric vehicles, smart parking and street lighting, and free (and fast) Internet. 5G, for example, was a hot topic at tech conferences as companies partnered up with cities to get the networks in place for this high-speed service.
For Albania’s capital of Tirana, the key lies in smart city solutions that address issues such as mobility, education and public spaces. During the Tirana Smart City Conference, representatives came together from the municipality, international organisations, and the community to share in the mayor’s vision of Tirana’s transformation over the next decade. Here’s a brief glance at the 112 projects designed to make a significant change to Tirana’s current infrastructure.
By working with students and citizens to improve city services through the help of free Wi-Fi and mobile phone applications, Pilsen is proving to be a city that doesn’t rest on its laurels when it comes to developing modern solutions that will have major impact. Let’s take a look at three ways, in particular, Pilsen is striving to become the no.1 smart city in the Czech Republic.
In an effort to reconstruct the Turkish-occupied town of Famagusta in Cyprus, international companies are coming together to introduce high-tech systems that will offer the solutions needed to transform Famagusta into a smart city. Here’s how the introduction of high-tech systems will breathe new life into this deserted town preparing it for a sustainable (and once again liveable) future.
Santander está buscando modernizarse con medidas inteligentes para la gestión y tratamiento de residuos. A continuación, analizaremos cómo este destino turístico veraniego está aprendiendo a mejorar sus servicios de recogida de basuras, haciendo que la ciudad sea más habitable y convirtiéndola en modelo a seguir por el resto de España.
In 2013 was slimme verlichting nog niet zo’n trendy onderwerp als nu. De historische stad Helmond in Noord-Brabant, in het zuiden van Nederland, was echter een van de eerste steden die intelligente verlichtingstechnologie inzette om uitdagingen van een groeiend industrieel knooppunt aan te pakken en duurzamer te worden door energie te besparen.
A series of smart projects is slowly seeping its way across Turkey’s cities with one goal in mind: transforming the country into a digital hub. Part of Turkey’s 2023 Goals, these smart city concepts are stemming from years of investments in smart technology, which will save the country billions of euros annually, as well as provide the infrastructure necessary to fuel these future-focused technologies.
Set in Lebanon’s Northern Matn region, the countryside residential community of BeitMisk spans 13 plots and features stunning views of capital city Beirut and the Mediterranean. While it’s modelled after a traditional village, this town is offering up a more modern lifestyle than what residents are used to. Here's how the city is becoming a leader in Lebanon, relying not only on fibre optics but also on an advanced digital infrastructure.
Congested city streets may be one less problem Paris faces as the city looks to something straight out of a science fiction movie: driverless taxi cabs. Dubbed “Autonom Cab,” these hyperconnected taxis cost between €230,000 and €250,000 and can hold up to six people. Let’s take a look at the impacts this new product will have when it hits the market next year.
As the EU looks to be a driver in terms of a low carbon economy, islands in Europe are becoming more aware of their role to serve as inspiration for sustainable, integrated solutions that “make the most out of islands’ competitive advantages,” according to the Smart Islands Initiative. Let’s take a look at this new effort inspired by Smart Cities and Communities and how Europe’s islands may play a vital role in helping Europe transition into a low carbon and sustainable economy.
Afin d’aider les villes à converger vers l'écologie, l'Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR), dans la cité Descartes, va tester des solutions dans une mini ville équipée de capteurs. Examinons donc attentivement ce projet, et voyons ce qu'il pourrait apporter aux villes en termes d’évolution vers la transition énergétique.
In an effort to help push cities in an ecological direction, the "Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux" (IFSTTAR) will test out solutions in a mini-city that’s equipped with sensors. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the project underway and what it could mean for cities in terms of moving forward in the energy transition.
Malta's capital aims to be a carbon-neutral city by 2030. Following in the footsteps of other successful areas that are part of the Smart Sustainable Districts programme (such as Moabit West in Berlin and Les Docks de Saint-Ouen in Paris), Valletta is working on a series of projects that could help similar cities who also have to take elements like tourism and historic features into account.
Tech corporation ZTE is looking to bring Hungary’s technology up to 21st century standards starting with one major upgrade: a 5G network. While small towns like Szentendre near Budapest have toyed with smart city solutions like Smart Parking systems, it’s up to larger metropolises to set the example when it comes to Smart City projects.
As part of the six-year mySMARTLife project, European Lighthouse city Helsinki is looking to urban solutions to cut 70 percent of greenhouse gases. Along with Nantes and Hamburg, Helsinki is part of the mySMARTLife plan to transform cities into “more sustainable places where smart people and smart economy become reality.”
One of the main challenges Krakow faces is quality of life, but now the city is looking to fix that with goals put in place that will make the city a better—and smarter—place to live. From tackling environmental pollution to improving educational facilities, here are the ways Krakow is stepping up its game to become one of Poland’s Smart Cities.
Involving citizens in public data collection and decision-making processes is helping cities across Europe narrow in on the projects and areas that really need shaping. Cities like Oradea in Romania have connected its public institutions to a single platform, making everything from tax paying to medical appointments easily accessible for citizens. Citizen science and sensors in Amsterdam, meanwhile, have helped monitor the city’s air quality.
Start-ups such as Berlin-based door2door are looking at ways to supplement public transport instead of replacing it. Launching just last month, the app is helping to connect the country with the first on-demand local public transport system in a rural area, the Freyung Shuttle, in the Bavarian Forest town of Freyung.
This year, the first LNG-powered ferry set off along the Tallinn-Helsinki route, producing 25 percent less CO2 and 85 percent less nitrogen compounds. Now the Port of Tallinn is looking to up its sustainability game starting at square one with port traffic.
One of seven European projects looking at nature-based solutions for smart cities, Connecting Nature is part of a €12 million investment to help cities make the switch to become more sustainable. The pan-European project, coordinated by the research team at Trinity College Dublin, is looking at 11 European cities in particular—including Glasgow and Genk in Belgium—to explore new technologies to help these cities become greener from the ground up.
Dans l'est de la France, Dijon s'efforce de renforcer son statut de ville intelligente en impliquant ses voisins. La ville française joint ses forces à celles des localités environnantes pour se lancer dans un projet informatique de 105 millions d'euros qui améliorera son fonctionnement, tout en permettant la réalisation d'économies sur l'éclairage public, la gestion du trafic et la sécurité publique.
At the moment, Graz—the capital of the state of Styria and Austria’s second-largest city after Vienna—boasts the country’s only Smart City flagship project. Targeting the former industrial area near the centre of Graz, the smart urban development strategy will transform this local land reserve in Graz West into a residential area where sustainability is placed at the forefront.
What does it take for a city to make the switch and become “smarter”? This is the question Oradea in northwest Romania is looking to answer with its plan to become the first Romanian smart city. With the Oradea Smart City strategy, the city is drafting a long-term plan based on a series of ICT-based solutions aimed to be put in place by 2025. Not only will these solutions help Oradea earn the title of Romania’s first smart city, it’ll also solve a number of public issues it currently faces.
In a former railway yard in southeast Paris, a €200 million project is underway to create a global hub for Internet development that will be the largest start-up incubator in the world. Dubbed Halle Freyssinet (or Station F), this is just one project that will make Paris a global player in terms of Internet technology, as well as create up to 4,000 jobs and attract 1,000 French and foreign tech entrepreneurs.
Two major companies are teaming up to develop a project that could help as many as 8.5 million drivers on the road. The joint venture between BMW and IBM will deliver a cloud-based data management system as part of a new connected car initiative, all based on real-time performance.
La Sicilia non è considerata un polo tecnologico e deve affrontare problemi come infrastrutture fatiscenti e rifiuti urbani. Tuttavia, l'isola più grande del Mediterraneo sta lavorando ad un piccolo progetto di crowdfunding per risolvere questi problemi e promuovere la crescita della suo scenario tecnologico. Anche il governo locale darà il suo contributo, investendo una parte dei 13 milioni di euro necessari al finanziamento di questi progetti tecnologici.
Sicily is not seen as a tech hub and faces issues from crumbling infrastructure to overflowing trash. However, the largest island in the Mediterranean is working on a small, crowdfunded budget to solve these issues and boost its evolving tech scene, with the local government investing a portion of the €13 million needed for technological projects.
The German state of Hesse is working with global tech powerhouse Siemens to build the first eHighway on a public highway in the country, with an overhead contact line for electric freight transport on the A5 autobahn. Expected to be completed at the end of 2018, this new highway will help solve the issue of climate-neutral freight transport by road in Frankfurt, cutting energy consumption in half and reducing local air pollution.
A lack of public funding may be considered a major inhibitor in smart city development, but cities are turning away from traditional financing methods and are instead coming up with creative ways to finance the city. Citizens are willing to get involved to make their city the best it can be, instead of developing an entirely new city. Here’s where the revolutionary concept of crowdfunding comes into play.
Residents who prefer the suburbs over city living no longer need to head out of town to find the calm they’re craving. Plans are underway for Manchester's first vertical village, which will offer some of the best views over the city, as well as a suburban-style enclave for residents who would previously have moved out of the city. When the €1.4 billion project wraps up in 2022, it will feature 1,400 homes, community gardens and communal areas, a farmer’s market, and an educational facility.
Dans un effort pour amener Municipalité et habitants à collaborer sur des solutions durables, Mons s'est tourné vers la technologie. Résultat donna naissance à la « Creative Valley », un conglomérat d’acteurs publics, d'entreprises privées, d'universités et de centres de recherche travaillant côte-à-côte afin de transformer une « économie traditionnelle » en « économie créative ».
In 2015, Mons, Belgium held the title of European Capital of Culture. With this role, Mons, the capital of the Hainaut province in Belgium’s Walloon region, strummed up a number of smart projects, but one of the most creative involved citizen participation. In an effort to bring the city’s government and its citizens together to collaborate on sustainable solutions, Mons looked to technology. The outcome: the birth of Creative Valley.
Despite a recession less than five years ago, Lisbon is proving that cities can quickly recover and rise from economic struggles with the help of a strong digital infrastructure and start-up culture. The Portuguese capital is now making this a key focus in order to operate an integrated management plan for the city, which will utilize a cloud operation centre.
We’ve already seen the effects Smart Cities have with the introduction of new technologies in an urban environment, but can these advances actually save lives? The answer, quite simply, is yes.
The city has been strategic in its use of digital technologies to improve urban, health and governmental services, as well as the daily lives of its 76,000 citizens. By making it a priority to engage actively and effectively with citizens, Trikala has managed to deliver a number of sustainable initiatives and services, serving as a 21st century model for other cities across Greece to follow.
For Scotland, the country plans on working from the ground up. With the creation of a new Digital Growth Fund, Scotland aims to boost the number of digital jobs to 150,000 by 2021.
Cork, a university city in southwest Ireland, is on its way to positioning itself as a “World-Class Smart Region,” building on its existing assets to achieve a reputation as a great place to live, work, visit and invest. Part of a collaboration between local governments and research organisations, the Cork Smart Gateway is a smart agenda that is developing solutions for the region, with a focus on everything from energy conservation to open data.
Shared mobility may still be in its early stages, but this is one trend that could have a major impact not only on the automotive industry, but also on cities themselves. Shared mobility is predicted to only partially replace car ownership, but by 2030, this part could equal up to a third of vehicle sales. Europe currently ranks third in the market in terms of shared mobility, with the challenge of lacking a “one-size-fits-all” model, since each city has its own regulations.
Since 2009, Portugal has aimed to be a leader in terms of electric mobility, developing new energy models for sustainability. One city in particular, Évora, the capital of Portugal’s south-central Alentejo region, served as the first pilot project for smart city development. In 2010, InovCity Évora kicked off, showing both Portugal and the world real-life examples of energy efficiency, micro generation and electrical mobility. (article available in Portuguese)
Desde 2009 que Portugal tem como objetivo ser um líder em termos de mobilidade elétrica, ao desenvolver novos modelos de energia para a sustentabilidade. Uma cidade, em particular, Évora, capital do Distrito de Évora, na região do Alentejo e sub-região do Alentejo Central, serviu como o primeiro projeto-piloto para o desenvolvimento da cidade inteligente.
Los proyectos inteligentes suelen inspirar visiones urbanas: edificios inteligentes y conectadoss, vehículos autónomos, transportes de alta tecnología. Y, si bien estos son elementos importantes a tener en cuenta cuando se trata de la planificación urbana de una ciudad, existe también un lado que puede beneficiarse de soluciones naturales inteligentes. Islas como Menorca, en el español archipiélago balear, buscan formas inteligentes de "reducir la presión humana y el impacto medioambiental".
Smart projects typically inspire urban visions: connected skyrises, autonomous vehicles, high-tech transport. And while these are important elements to consider when it comes to urban planning for a city, there’s also a side that can benefit from smart solutions—nature. Islands such as Menorca in the Spanish Balearic archipelago are looking to smart ways to “reduce human pressure and environmental impact.” (article available in Spanish)
Outdoor air pollution claims 1.3 million lives every year. Children are particularly at risk. And the number of deaths is expected to rise due to climate change. Read how cities from Hamburg to Oakland are using data, sensors and some novel technologies to reduce death and disease from dirty air.
With a population of over 1.7 million in metropolitan Oslo, the city realized that to protect its citizens, it needs to focus its smart city efforts on one major issue: climate-friendly urban development. The 10-year-plan behind FutureBuilt is just one of the projects underway in the Norwegian capital, as the city looks to build climate-friendly buildings that not only appear aesthetically beautiful, they are also designed to reduce carbon footprints by 50 percent.
Think tank CGAP wants to illustrate the impact that financial inclusion and microfinance have in improving the lives of low-income people through its annual photo contest. Click for details.
Established around 700 A.D., Somerset in southwest England boasts one of the oldest local governments in the world. But despite its age—or perhaps because of it—Somerset County Council has proved itself to be one major example of how the UK is looking to “rethink and revamp” its technologies to better serve its citizens and its goals.
Vista come "l'evoluzione intelligente della città", Mantova si è autobattezzata la prima "Città Phygital" d'Italia, una città che collega le esperienze fisiche e digitali che i residenti possono vivere entro i suoi confini. Cosa significa esattamente? La capitale italiana della cultura 2016, con l'aiuto di fabbricadigitale, sta lavorando con tecnologie avanzate finalizzate all'apprendimento automatico dei dati, che permettono di analizzare in tempo reale le informazioni della città intelligente.
A post from the UK offers a fascinating glimpse at 24 technologies that could potentially improve a lot of lives. We provide a peek at five that are focused on wellness, including a Skype-like app for older folks and 3D printed bionic hands for amputees.
As the development of the Internet of Things is expected to roll out on a grander scale in the years to come, cities across France are looking at what they can do in the present to prepare for this network of the future. In southeastern France, the city of Grenoble served as a testing ground for smart city technologies running through a single network, thanks to an alliance of over 300 companies.
The German town of Monheim am Rhein, whose population measures about 40,000, will act as a guinea pig for a project aiming to reduce energy consumption by up to 70 percent. The tiny town sitting along to eastern bank of the Rhine is partnering with a national telecommunications company to develop a smart lighting service that will improve the quality of life for citizens and make the location an even more attractive one for businesses headquartered in Germany.
Cities across Europe are focusing on becoming “smarter,” creating districts and homes with the latest smart technology. But one city, in particular, is looking to extend this concept to housing benefitting students.
Les villes d’Europe s’attachent à devenir plus en plus « intelligentes » en créant des quartiers et des habitations dotées de technologies de pointe. Une ville est tout particulièrement est en train d’étendre ce concept aux logements pour étudiants.
At the moment, 300 train stations across France are equipped with Wi-Fi, but the country plans to ramp up this program extending the service to all 3,000 of its stations. With free unlimited Wi-Fi, citizens will be able to track trains on their Smartphone and signal when there is a problem with the line, opening the possibility for direct dialogue.
As the world’s diabetes epidemic worsens, IBM, Qualcomm and Microsoft technologies have joined the battle. Columbus, Georgia’s mayor has signed on. So have 47,000 Lions Clubs. And then there's Dana Lewis; don't miss what she's doing to help diabetes sufferers like herself.
A new business accelerator based in Oldham, England is taking on the "poverty premium" – where poor people pay more for basic goods and services than wealthier folks. The Wayra Fair by Design Fund will support tech startups developing solutions.
Thanks to autonomous mobility and parking, companies like Hitachi are paving the way for an infrastructure of the future to ensure more efficient (and safer) commutes for citizens. While some of these technologies are still under development, one area of connected mobility has recently rolled out: autonomous parking technology.
Last month, the Baltic port city of Gdynia became the first in Poland to receive the ISO 37120 certificate for its sustainable development of communities—an indicator of its city services and quality of life. For this tier, two city in northern Poland, which features the largest Science and Technology Park in the country, the key to becoming a “smart city” is developing user-friendly services for its citizens.
While the Finnish town of Tampere may only have 200,000 residents, it’s the largest inland city in Scandinavia. Set on an isthmus between two lakes, the city is dominated by old industrial buildings, original architecture and a stunning natural backdrop of ridges formed thousands of years ago. Yet despite its small town vibes and compact city centre, Tampere is poising itself to become a frontrunner for 5G technology.
Städte zu umweltfreundlichen und lebenswürdigen Orten für ihre Einwohner zu machen, ist eine Herausforderung, mit der Politiker und lokale Behörden sehr vertraut sind. Die gute Nachricht ist, dass es zahlreiche inspirierende und finanzierbare Beispiele gibt, denen man folgen kann. Nehmen Sie die Stadt Essen in Nordrhein-Westfalen als Beispiel.
As countries like India urbanize at rapid-fire pace, they may need a little help from more developed friends around the world when it comes to establishing and implementing sustainable smart city solutions. Here’s where Sweden steps in. The Scandinavian country is partnering with India to develop a plan to promote sustainable and green-friendly public transportation solutions, making cities across India smarter thanks to Swedish technologies.
With a city centre population expected to grow by 125,000 in the next few years alone, how do European cities like Manchester keep up technologically? For this UK city, the answer lies in smart city solutions. Out of 30 cities across the country, Manchester was chosen for a £10 million government grant for smart city technology investment with 21 organisations working together with Manchester council.
To fight against global warming, the Dutch government plans to slim down its carbon emissions to zero by 2050. One island is paving the way toward energy-efficient solutions with a smart public lighting project. Last summer, Texel, an island in North Holland with 13,000 residents, started rolling out an intelligent street lighting network that controls when and where lighting is illuminated.
Global telecommunications company Huawei is turning its eyes to Dubai when it comes to digital transformation in the Middle East.Earlier this month, the company announced its plan for OpenLab Dubai, a collaboration with over 30 solutions and 20 partners from the fields of public safety, smart city, and digital oil and gas.
According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI), more of the global population will be using mobile phones than bank accounts or running water by 2021, with numbers estimated at 5.5 billion.
Innovative technologies can improve the physical and mental well-being of people who suffer from loneliness and lack of social connections. A new report highlights examples, such as Australia's InTouch Living system.
Del mismo modo que un director ejecutivo es esencial para la gestión de una empresa, las ciudades están creando un papel igualmente fundamental para los proyectos de ciudades inteligentes, un director general de tecnología. Ahora, con estos directores de tecnología ayudando a preparar el terreno para las estrategias de solución inteligente, las ciudades de toda Europa están incorporando un elemento importante en la mezcla: Wi-Fi gratis.
As the Dutch cities of Uithoorn, Diemen and Ouder-Amstel join forces as Duo+ to deal with political and administrative issues, they’re looking at one main solution: Microsoft Azure cloud services.
If the “city of tomorrow” always needs to be connected, one of the simplest solutions is to give citizens and travellers access to free Wi-Fi, especially in the most public places.
To test its latest projects—from the first driverless shuttle to lower LED street lights—Japanese electronics corporation Panasonic has set up a lab of the future in a metro station in Denver.
An interesting approach to getting homeless people off the streets of Barcelona uses crowdfunding to help them start a business that matches their talents and skills or find jobs they actually enjoy.
The more cities discovering the benefits of IoT (Internet of things) and connected solutions, the higher the growth for smart city projects.
Following the example of London, Singapore is one of the few cities on the globe—and the first in Asia—to look at contactless credit and debit cards in a different way: for public transport.
Through the implication of an open data policy, smartphone-connected public transportation and telecommunicating co-working spaces, Ile-de-France plans on becoming the first smart region in Europe.
Intel has partnered up with GE to reimagine the way buildings use energy, testing the concept in its own headquarters.
Just as a CEO is essential to managing a company, cities are creating a role just as crucial for smart city projects—a Chief Technology Officer. New York City kicked off this trend in 2014, but London quickly followed in its footsteps. Now with these CTO’s helping pave the way for smart solution strategies, cities across Europe (like Barcelona) are incorporating one major element into the mix: free Wi-Fi.
In Copenhagen, going green goes way beyond biking around town. The solution? The government’s green energy policy is looking to electrical vehicles (EV) to make the city free of fossil fuels in the future.
Aachen is looking to its past and present knowledge to drive the smart city development of its future. Learn how the city is redefining the concept of smart housing in a social housing development sense.
A house in Russia 3D printed on site in just 24 hours -- and costing just $10,134. Legally blind parents not able to see their baby on an ultrasound feel it instead. See more ways 3D printing could disrupt our world.
In Helsinki, a new district is being built along an old commercial harbour with one goal in mind: improving the quality of citizens’ lives. The smart district will use technology to benefit citizens.
The key attributes of 5G that will benefit Smart Cities include higher network speed and more connections, enabling wireless connectivity in unprecedented locations; quicker and more adaptive response times.
How do you make your citizens happy? For the Dutch city of Haarlemmemeer, it did it by cutting costs. Learn how lower costs led to better service through its new digital platform.
Smart Cities Council is a member-driven network of the world’s leading companies providing smart technologies to the public sector. We are currently accepting new partners. Click to learn more about the benefits of partnering with us.
In February it was awarded ‘Best Government Emerging Technologies’ at the World Government Summit Awards in Dubai in recognition of its Smart City programme.
This article highlights some examples of cities which are embracing smart technologies and show how they are having a positive impact on daily life.
On February 3rd, the Sharing Cities consortium and Smart Cities Council Europe gathered executives from the cities of Milan, Lisbon, London, Warsaw, Bordeaux, Burgas and Budapest and industry leaders guests.
Two Dutch cities now have some fairly exclusive bragging rights. Between them they are said to have the largest zero-emission fully electric bus fleet in Europe. Click for details about the system and how technical issues were resolved.
Oracle's $1.4B computer science education investment... a new water contract for Sensus... Schneider Electric's new IoT solution... Ameresco's solar canopy project... Daimler's big spend on EVs. Click the links for details.
Because a smart city's success depend so heavily on complex systems and technologies, one question often asked is: where do we find the skilled tech professionals capable of operating and administering them? Fortunately, more and more universities and other institutions are stepping up to fill the talent gap.
A smart city isn't just technology. It's also made up of smart people. Your job market depends on it. Here are four great ideas for nurturing your next generation of workers so that you have the labor force businesses covet.
School buildings, like any other building, should be energy-efficient and cost-effective. Dow Building Construction's Tim Lacey shares insights on why and how choosing advanced building materials can help ensure new school buildings and upgrades meet those criteria.
Understanding citizen expectations and needs is essential for a successful smart city roadmap. But what's the best way to do it? UK researchers plan to identify the types of citizens likely to benefit from and engage the most with smart city technologies and policies. Read our story to learn how and why.