A smart city is a city that is intelligently and sustainably designed using technology and data to improve the way people live together. The term has evolved in recent years and is increasingly used as cities around the world face major challenges such as pollution and traffic problems.
In Europe, there are many cities that have already set out on the path to becoming smart cities. Examples are Amsterdam, Barcelona and Copenhagen. These cities rely on innovative technologies such as intelligent traffic control, energy efficiency and digital citizen participation.
The Federal Government is supporting German municipalities with model projects to strategically shape digitalisation in the sense of integrated, sustainable and public welfare-oriented urban development. The funded model projects in 28 cities are intended to show how the qualities of the European city can be transferred to the age of digitalisation. The aim is to answer the following questions: How will we live in the municipalities of the future? How do we shape our lives there? And what will digitalisation change?
The increasing networking of devices and systems makes it possible to collect and analyse data in real time. This enables cities to react faster to changes and improve their services. Involving citizens in the planning and implementation of smart city projects is also an important approach to creating a sustainable and liveable city.
In Münster, for example, work is being done on intelligent traffic management to make traffic in the city more efficient and environmentally friendly. For this purpose, data from various sources such as sensors and traffic cameras are collected and analysed in order to optimise traffic flows and avoid traffic jams.
In Dresden, the city council gave the green light for the implementation phase of the Smart City concept from 1 July 2023. "The Smart City strategy for Dresden picks up on the megatrends of social development and translates them into content guidelines for the development of digital services in urban areas," says Prof. Dr Michael Breidung, head of Eigenbetrieb IT-Dienstleistungen Dresden.
(Graphic: © Tumisu, Pixabay)
