Smart Cities 44 articles

What exactly is a smart city and how do we know whether or not we live in one?

The concept of smart cities emerges with the need to optimize processes in the ever-growing urban populations around Europe and the word. Urbanization is skyrocketing as people pursue careers in industrially developed and rich ecosystems which often happen to be located in big cities with already limited space and resources.

Smart City Definition

In a “smart city,” existing networks and services are enhanced with digital technologies for the benefit of locals and businesses.

Beyond utilizing digital solutions to better manage resources and reduce pollution, the smart city definition entails improved water supply and waste disposal systems, better urban transportation networks, and more effective building lighting and heating systems.

In addition it includes developing a local administration that is more responsive and engaging, making public areas safer, and addressing the requirements of an aging population.

Smart City Applications

The greatest concern in Southeastern Europe currently is energy deficits. As the Green Deal entered the game and now the war in Ukraine impedes the ability of people to use fuel-based energy or natural gas, the already happening transition towards renewable sources of energy all over the old continent has been boosted.

However,  the integrity of this transition is not solely based on the usage of electric vehicles, bikes, scooters but also on  urban innovation. There are two two aspects of smart city building and well-being.

The first is resource optimization, which we just mentioned. This action plan gives innovators the opportunity to evaluate experimental projects and thereby validate smart city technology that can enhance urban environment and the lives of inhabitants.

Urban farming, mobility communities, digital twins of systems that enable real-time monitoring, and energy efficiency projects that will significantly reduce a city’s carbon emissions are a few of these technologies and smart city initiatives.

The second branch is concentrated on the digitalization of city-based administrative entities to help citizens save time and money.

The department for Digitalization, Innovation, and Economic Growth in Sofia, the fourteenth largest city in Europe, implemented a digital service for kindergarten and first grade school admissions, which allowed it to save up to two days for over 30,000 individuals annually, including 12,000 parents.

By decreasing the amount of time parents take paid leave to help with the physical admissions process, it is estimated to save over a million euros yearly.

Why does the Recursive write about smart cities?

The Recursive is intrigued by the subject as smart cities become more prevalent in terms of both legal rules and personal preferences. All of the member nations who wish to be qualified for money under the EU Recovery plan must meet a number of digitization standards, according to the European Commission.

This is crucial not only for individuals who enjoy the results of such tech development and optimized processes but also for businesses that wish for a more sustainable scale-up.

The innovation reporters of The Recursive cover urban innovation, smart cities ideas, mobility-as-a-service solutions, electric cars, electric bikes and scooters, digital twins and smart city hubs.

Some distinguished players driving the transformation towards smart cities in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania include – SPARK, MYX, UrbiGo, Modeshift, Iceberg+, MClimate , NRGI.ai, Cyrcl, and others.

FAQ

Who are the authors in the smart city channel?

In the Recursive’s newsroom the reporters involved with the smart city topic are Antoanela Ionita, Elena Ivanova and Bojan Stojkovski.

What materials are written most often?

In their articles, our journalists dive into the depth of energy cost reductions, sustainability transitions, innovation challenges and also report on the latest news related to funding rounds for businesses which would like to follow a career path in the niche.

Can I subscribe to updates on the latest smart city projects?

Stay tuned and subscribe to The Recursive newsletter to get the latest smart cities insights delivered straight to your mailbox.