A joint study on the key influencing factors of a smart city conducted by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), PricewaterhouseCoopers WPG GmbH (PwC) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (Fraunhofer IAO) is now available.
The study focuses on four main areas:
- Digitization and the transformation of the urban structure: who will use the data in planning for the future, and how can they competently do so?
- The new urban economy: future economic requirements will require more flexible urban planning, central coordination and steering units, a municipal data and communications infrastructure, new cooperation and funding models, and digital education networks.
- Civic participation: using big data and incorporating digital participation into civic initiatives will allow municipalities to integrate the knowledge and wishes of citizens into their planning processes.
- Inclusion: it is paramount that all population groups are able to participate in the smart city. Barriers to using new technologies must be removed, new technology should be user-friendly, data security must be secured, digital education freely offered, and e-government expanded.
“Urban policy must integrate new technologies into planning measures and use them for an ecologically, socially and economically balanced urban development policy. The aim is to provide as many people as possible with simple access to new technologies and break down barriers. It is the only way to intensify civic participation and counteract digital division,” said Harald Herrmann, BBSR director.
“A developed digital infrastructure is already a key location factor for municipalities today. A municipality’s ability to attract citizens and companies decisively depends on its digital progress,” said Michael Jahn, head of the Smart Cities Competence Team at PwC
“The digitization of the economy and society will change our cities and communities in a similar way to automobiles and industrialization in the past. Agility and innovative drive will become new key competences for digital transformation with respect to city administrations,” said Steffen Braun, head of Business Unit Mobility and Urban Systems Engineering.
