| Abstract |
Cities are facing considerable population growth, increasing pressures and economic burdens. To remain competitive and achieve sustainable growth, cities must find ways to boost their efficiency and reduce costs while ensuring good quality of life for all citizens. Smart Cities seem the only way that energy systems can be brought onto a sustainable track. This transformation of a city into a Smart City however, calls for both a cultural and a dimensional change, a new scenario that goes beyond cities, regions and nations. It requires that cities broaden their perspective, think globally and search for innovative solutions at a European level and beyond. According a Smart Cities concept, digital technologies and the use of different types of web platforms will help to transform cities into better place for public services, sustainable use of resources and less impact on the environment, even if innovative technologies are not the only solutions to increase the quality of cities and to ensure the direct relationship between citizens and Institutions. A Smart City is a complex place where the traditional networks and the use of digital and telecommunication technologies are made more efficient for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses. So a Smart City concept goes beyond the only use of ICT for better services, resource use and less emissions, and means smarter urban planning, transport networks, upgraded water supply and waste disposal facilities, and more efficient ways to light and heat buildings. In this scenario, cities are gradually shifting towards innovation, following or supporting sometimes the steps of the private sector toward sustainable enterprises, and also encompassing a more interactive and responsive city administration, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an ageing population. The participants in the VRT are key note representatives of four European Municipalities, involved in different innovative project programs on Smart Cities. |