Be SMART-think CITY!
Workshop during Open Days 2012

Be SMART-think CITY!- How to match smartness, sustainability and inclusion in governing Europe of tomorrow?

Sustainable and integrated development of European cities is an essential part of the EUROPE 2020 strategy. The multidisciplinary debate Be SMART – think CITY! brought together representatives of the European institutions, thirteen European regions in consortium led by Pomorskie Region and the City of Łódź and networks such as ERRIN to discuss Smart Cities and the possible ways of applying the concept in urban areas.

Within the next Multiannual Financial Framework new opportunities for cities in post 2013 perspective will be available. A number of modern instruments shall be provided for regional and local authorities in order to facilitate sustainable and integrated development of urban areas. Moreover, effective urban performance is to be achieved only by holistic problem-solving approaches. Therefore, it is the right time to start preparation towards practical implementation of already defined attributes of SMART CITIES. This multidisciplinary debate gave the participants the opportunity to discuss breakthrough solutions towards the ‘traditional’ concept of Smart Cities (e.g. ICT solutions, clean transport, energy efficiency) as well as addressing societal and environmental challenges (health, active aging, education, water scarcity). All these elements cannot be separated when achieving goals of the strategy Europe 2020, Cohesion Policy and Horizon 2020 in an integrated manner.

• , representing the ENNEREG project and the City of Vejle during this debate, and