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Smart cities

A smart city or community aims to the well-being of its inhabitants, businesses, visitors, organisations and administrators by offering digitally enabled services that contribute to a better quality of life.

These smart services can help cities to be more sustainable and reach their green deal objectives. They can contribute to better manage resources like energy or water, to monitor and reduce local traffic and pollution or in the work towards greener ways to light and heat buildings. They can also mean a more interactive and responsive city administration, engagement of citizens in decision and policy-making, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an ageing population.

Featured Content

Last update: 01/03/2024

Smart and sustainable cities and communities (RP2024)

(A.) Policy and legislation(A.1) Policy objectivesSmart urban technologies can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of European cities. 75% of the EU population lives in...
Standardisation
Last update: 14/03/2023

Internet of Things (RP2023)

(A.) Policy and legislation (A.1) Policy objectives The Internet of Things (IoT) is a key priority area of the digital single market. The IoT is a cross domain technology that connects more objects to...
Last update: 14/03/2023

SMART CITIES AND COMMUNITIES / technologies and services for smart and efficient energy use

(A.) Policy and legislation (A.1) Policy objectives Smart urban technologies can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of European cities. 75% of the EU population lives in...
Last update: 04/03/2024

MIMs are tools for achieving interoperability of data, systems, and services between cities and suppliers

On 16 January 2019, the OASC Council of Cities have adopted officially the following mechanisms as OASC Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (OASC MIMs).Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) are universal tools for achieving interoperability of data, systems, and services between cities and suppliers around the world. They allow cities to achieve interoperability based on a minimal common ground. Implementation can be different, as long as the architecture use the same interoperability mechanisms. The MIMs are vendor-neutral and technology-agnostic, meaning that anybody can use them.See…
Smart citiesStandardisation
Physical event

OASC Conference 2024

Co-organised by the city of Rotterdam and Open & Agile Smart Cities, the OASC “Become Better Connected” conference will be held on 16-17 of January 2024.The global network is dedicated to aiding cities and communities worldwide in their digital transformation journey. Emphasizing collaboration and network strength, the conference's primary focus is on recalibrating and fortifying the network. Attendees are invited to contribute to this transformative conference, recognising the critical role of a robust network and collaborative approach in reshaping cities' digital landscapes.The event spans…
Open Source Software
Last update: 01/03/2024

Interoperability for Smart Cities

This section provides an overview of key information about interoperability for smart cities, which aim at capturing the most recent developments and trends in the field of digital public...
Smart citieseGovernment

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Last update: 10/04/2024

Assessing smart cities and communities' digital maturity

Conceptualising smart citiesWhile cities are universally recognised, the notion of a smart city remains unknown to many. The European Commission has shown an increasing interest in this idea and worked on a definition of what makes a city smart: it is “a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital solutions for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses”[1]. Following the launch of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities, the Commission followed up with several strategies and actions that have proven to be key for…
Smart citieseGovernment
Last update: 23/04/2024

Europe Leads in Digital Transformation

The European Union's Cohesion Policy is playing an important role in propelling Europe to the forefront of the digital age, aligning with the European Commission's priority to leverage digital technology for sustainable growth, improved quality of life, and securing a competitive edge in the global economy. With a significant allocation from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), over €14 billion was invested in digital projects for 2014-2020, aiming to digitise firms, expand e-services, promote digital literacy, and ensure broadband access in remote areas. Investments have supported…
European PoliciesSmart citiesDigital innovation
Last update: 16/04/2024

Boot camp 3 cohort unveiled

GovTech Connect is delighted to announce the 16 exciting startups who will be joining our third Boot Camp - Reimagining Cities for a Sustainable Future! Selected from applicants across Western Europe, our 16 startups will explore how to bring their innovative Smart Cities solutions to the public sector in areas including:Smart EnergySmart MobilitySmart WellbeingSmart EngagementWildcards (inc. Water Management, Documentation, Infrastructure, and Planning)Kicking off later this week, the programme will deliver 5 weeks of training on working with government, innovative business models, pricing…
Business and competitionEuropean PoliciesSmart cities

Latest News

Last update: 28/03/2023

ITU Expert Focus Group on the Metaverse

Digital technologies are shaping our society and new services such as virtual worlds will have a profound impact on the way people will interact. One example is the so-called CitiVerse that will allow citizens and other stakeholders to «navigate and interact» in physical/virtual environments for multiple purposes from urban planning to educational services. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has just established a 1-year expert focus group on the metaverse to contribute to the technical pre-standardization work of virtual worlds. The objective is to offer a venue to start laying…
Smart cities
Last update: 09/10/2023

Smart Cities and Communities

With the term “smart cities” or “smart communities” we refer to societal groups that offer digital services to their members (citizens, visitors, administrators, organisations etc.) which ultimately aim at the at their welfare and overall quality of life. Smart cities target to achieve the optimal management of resources, progress towards more environmentally friendly methods of heating, aim at the reduction of local traffic, waste and pollution and generally offer better services to their members. The aim is to form better structured communities, that can ultimately reach the European Green…
Smart citiesDigital innovation
Last update: 08/04/2021

EIF4SCC for Smart Cities & Communities

Your opinion matters! Participate in the stakeholder consultation survey on EIF4SCC use at local level! The EIF4SCC is a proposed framework – under consultation – that aims to provide European Union local administration leaders with definitions, principles, recommendations, practical case studies, and a common model for public service delivery across domains, cities, regions, and borders. Did you know? Cities and communities are confronted with complex challenges, such as climate change, housing quality, pandemics, energy efficiency and urban mobility. More and more cities and communities…
Collaboration