In 2017, the Dutch Smart City agenda was published, with the subtitle "the future of living". The report describes how the social challenges of cities can be tackled in a connecting and cross-sectoral way. So that the quality of life for residents in the city improves and economic opportunities are exploited. Five preconditions have been defined to realize this:
1) A secure and standardized digital infrastructure
2) Public-private partnership with room for experiments
3) New governance models, integrally and together with residents
4) Education and employability
5) Regional cooperation in which cities act as a network
It is (partly) up to municipalities to give substance to these principles. It knows its inhabitants, develops and manages public space and realizes solutions for complex spatial and social challenges.
Finding the right balance and approach is no easy task. There are laws and regulations, such as the Environment Act and the AVG. There are agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Clean Air Agreement and the climate agreements. And municipalities have often formulated ambitions in their council programs in the field of circularity, sustainability and participation. If you are open to innovation and see the opportunities that technology and data can bring, there may still be valid concerns. About privacy, costs, the required knowledge, the involvement of residents and the possible dependence on suppliers. And as a data-driven organization you want insight into the public space. What is happening, where are sensors and what data do they collect? Who manages them and do they meet the requirements of the GDPR?
You are looking for concrete collaboration, want to share knowledge and actively involve residents. Solutions must be in line with the social and spatial challenges. And comply with standards, ethical principles and quality criteria.
The above points are only the tip of the iceberg. The subject will only become more important in the coming years. This requires a clear vision, a manageable approach, active involvement of residents, partners who take responsibility and reuse of existing knowledge.
WeCity is happy to lend a helping hand to develop the right strategy. We understand how to organize the smart city, know where to get knowledge and have the experience to bring the right partners together.
WeCity helps the smart city
WeCity offers various solutions and has an extensive partner network. We test these solutions for, among other things, the use of open standards, data collection and disclosure, privacy guarantees and the content of the SLA. This offers security, freedom of choice and flexibility.
As an independent party, WeCity relieves, arranges and connects the implementation and management of integrated and standardized solutions for the smart city. We guarantee that responsibilities are clearly assigned, facilitate that you can grow as a smart city at your own pace and ensure that there is freedom of choice in possible solutions.
Do you have an ambition as a smart city or are you already carrying out various projects? And are you looking for a way to scale and manage these initiatives? WeCity likes to think along with you. We offer a concrete and targeted approach in which we build a smart city as and with partners. Please contact us and we will schedule a meeting as soon as possible.