Mayor Institute Europe

05/10/2019

While no city can be called perfectly safe, there are cities doing well in this particular area. And to let the world know them and understand ‘safety’, The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) yet again revealed the safest cities in the world. Through broad-ranging research and in-depth interviews with experts, it concluded the results in the ‘Safe Cities Index 2019.’

While no city can be called perfectly safe, there are cities doing well in this particular area. And to let the world know them and understand ‘safety’, The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) yet again revealed the safest cities in the world. Through broad-ranging research and in-depth interviews ...

01/09/2019

Small Energy-driven Initiatives Inspiring Smart Cities

As per Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report, in the attempt to advance renewable energy, cities around the world are driven by a broad range of objectives which include environmental, socio-economic, energy security and governance goals.

To elaborate on the key drivers, renewable energy has the potential to reduce climate change and air pollution. For human welfare, it will eventually improve health and create more job opportunities. Places that still do not have access to electricity will be supported by renewables. Further, it will also lead to savings in energy costs and keeping the revenues limited which is part of the socio-economic goals. Enhancing energy security and governance are other main drivers for renewable change. Cities around the world are adopting renewable energy in different forms for more than one of these reasons.

As per Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report, in the attempt to advance renewable energy, cities around the world are driven by a broad range of objectives which include environmental, socio-economic, energy security and governance goals.  To elaborate on the key drivers, renewable energy ...

19/08/2019

Five essential steps to becoming a smart city.

Every city has its own needs, based in part on the region and country where it is located. Here are the main components to consider before adding smart city technology.

Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/five-essential-steps-to-becoming-a-smart-city/

06/08/2019

Nottingham ready to beat Theresa May’s climate targets

As one of her final acts as Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced that she will be signing into law a pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This would make Britain the first member of the G7 to make such a commitment official.

The announcement was largely applauded by environmental groups but there was also criticism of how the target will be met and whether it is in fact feasible.

However, one city in the UK is making strides to be net zero all on their own 22 years earlier. Nottingham, located 200 km north of London, has been on the forefront of reducing carbon emissions since 2000 when it signed the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change.

Source: https://eu-smartcities.eu/news/nottingham-ready-beat-theresa-mays-climate-targets

31/07/2019

Paris Set Out To Rethink Its Green Landscape With Eiffel Tower

After almost 6 years from now, when you click a picture from the peak of the Eiffel Tower, you will have a transformed and fascinating panorama soothing your eyes. The Smart City of Paris is rethinking the not-very-exciting landscape that surrounds the wonder of the world.

Well, Paris has been implementing a lot of its endeavours towards fighting air pollution and we have covered a lot about Paris’ innovative ambitions in different respects. This time our focus is on a single one-of-its-kind green project about to take shape spanning the wonder of the world in Paris.

Knowing the fact that Paris has a low green footprint in its urban space, it has plans to transform a 54-hectare grand site in the heart of the city into a lush green picturesque landscape while restricting vehicles from that area.

This project in the surroundings of Eiffel Tower will be a global-level inspiration showing how a smart city can have a beautiful green landscape accessible to everyone and not just the millions of tourists.

After almost 6 years from now, when you click a picture from the peak of the Eiffel Tower, you will have a transformed and fascinating panorama soothing your eyes. The Smart City of Paris is rethinking the not-very-exciting landscape that surrounds the wonder of the world.  Well, Paris has been imp...

28/07/2019

Air Pollution – A New Race Begins In 2019

This year, World Environment Day 2019 was celebrated across the entire globe with a new theme called ‘Beat Air Pollution’ – “call for action to combat one of the greatest environmental emerging challenges of our time.” As part of this inception, the UN presented some practical tips to defeat air pollution which we have discussed at the end of this article.

United Nations has been campaigning for years to spread the awareness of environmental challenges and climate change across the globe. In this line, the previous year, the organisation fostered the boycott of plastic and this year the eye is on making way for the entry of cleaner air.

We as common man know the perils associated with air pollution, but because we seldom witness this problem, we forget about it more often, that it is present everywhere and is affecting both our health and environment.

But looking at the smart city atmosphere as a whole, it seems that awareness is increasing. The past year observed several initiatives riping in different cities of the world. Again, this year we have come up with some new stories that reveal a new race against the rising air pollution.

This year, World Environment Day 2019 was celebrated across the entire globe with a new theme called ‘Beat Air Pollution’ –  “call for action to combat one of the greatest environmental emerging challenges of our time.” As part of this inception, the UN presented some practical tips to de...

18/07/2019

Highest Ranked Smart Cities of 2018-19

Eden Strategy Institute and OXD (ONG&ONG Experience Design) have come up with the top 50 smart cities of 2018-19. According to Eden Strategy Institute, this is one-of-its-kind independent ranking conducted for the first time that takes into consideration the roles that city governments play in leading a smart city strategy.

The top-5 smart cities according to their rankings are:
1. London
2. Singapore
3. Seoul
4. New York
5. Helsinki

Eden Strategy Institute and OXD (ONG&ONG Experience Design) have come up with the top 50 smart cities of 2018-19. According to Eden Strategy Institute, this is one-of-its-kind independent ranking conducted for the first time that takes into consideration the roles that city governments play in leadi...

10/07/2019

What Are The Core Development Plans Of The New Smart City In Australia?

Until now we have been exploring the smart transformations happening in the major cities of Australia. But today it is about spurring development that is turning a laid back city into a smart urban environment. We are talking about the City of Darwin, situated in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia.

The city of Darwin is enwrapped by a vibrant and lively atmosphere consisting of a highly multicultural population. In fact, the city is home to people from over 70 nationalities. Tourists find the city of the Northern Territory equal to what the southern cities have to offer. Today, Darwin is an important centre for business and industry and is described as Australia’s gateway to south-east Asia. These facts are most likely to be the reason behind choosing the city to become the next smart city of Australia.

Source: smartcity.press

Until now we have been exploring the smart transformations happening in the major cities of Australia. But today it is about spurring development that is turning a laid back city into a smart urban environment. We are talking about the City of Darwin, situated in the Northern Territory (NT) of Austr...

06/07/2019

Monheim introduces free public transport

What first started as a not particularly successful experiment will now become the go-to practice in Monheim. Last November, the city introduced free bus transport on 5 of its lines for a week. The results were less than stellar – there was a lot of confusion and the chosen routes were rather poorly chosen. Citizens’ interest in the initiative remained limited in the end.

Mayor of Monehim Daniel Zimmermann has not been dismayed, however. Starting April 2020, the city will make all the lines of its public transport fleet free of charge. As the town has been developing rapidly and has been growing richer and richer, the local authorities are more than ready to take over the full cost of public transportation. Estimates on the costs range between 2.5 and 3 million euro, which will be allocated from the city’s budget surplus. When presenting his vision for the future of the city, Zimmerman stated that "We have committed ourselves in our climate concept to reduce emissions".

If the proposition is accepted by the City Council of Monheim, around 44,000 citizens will have the opportunity to travel freely within the city – as well as outside its confines. The elimination of the public transport fee will also make traveling by train to Dusseldorf easier and more desirable. Daniel Zimmerman does not expect for these measures to lead to a significant decrease in car usage but at least “one step has been taken to make bus travel more attractive."

Source: themayor.eu

Monheim is the first city of its region to introduce free public transport via bus

29/06/2019

What Should Be The Criteria For A Fully Accessible Smart City? Ask The Disabled!

Smart cities are failing to satisfy the basic public needs of the disabled – say 60% of the global experts as per a new survey conducted by ‘Smart Cities for All’. Although activists and startups are working to provide a better urban environment for the disabled. They are looking for the comfort and convenience they need, which is missing in the cities.

The new survey focusing on 175 entrepreneurs in technology incubators showed that 43% of the respondents had a strong understanding of accessibility and inclusion in their own products. However, a third of the respondents were uncertain whether their technological products could be disabled-friendly.

In order to address this problem, the second effort of ‘Smart Cities for All’ helps to improve life for the disabled in the urban environment. On May 6th, 2019, they launched a new ‘Inclusive Innovation Playbook’ in partnership with World Enabled and developmental support from AT&T.

Their new document describes five ‘plays’ and associated actions smart cities can take to introduce inclusion and accessibility as part of innovation. This comprises focus on the citizens, infrastructure, economic assets, network and enabling public policies. Additionally, it also explains the successful practices and insights from the government, civil society and the private sector.

The book is created to help entrepreneurs, innovators and developers who design technology and smart city solutions, policymakers and civic hacking community leaders. Hopefully, the book will also be of help to smart city programme managers, educational institutions focusing on researching innovation and disability organisations.

Read more:

Smart cities are failing to satisfy the basic public needs of the disabled – say 60% of the global experts as per a new survey conducted by ‘Smart Cities for All’. Although activists and startups are working to provide a better urban environment for the disabled. They are looking for the comfo...

21/06/2019

Lisbon municipality reduces its water consumption by half

Thanks to the introduction of new measures and technologies, the amount water used in municipal buildings, parks and other has been reduced by half

Lisbon municipality has an impressive track record of self-improvement. When it comes to the responsible use of water, the situation is no different. In just four short years, the local government, alongside many Lisbon municipality parishes, have managed to reduce their water consumption by nearly half – 48.8%. The city’s authorities and buildings are now responsible for barely 7% of the total water used in the Portuguese capital – down from 15% in 2014.

But how did the municipality achieve this great success? For the most part, it’s been rather straightforward – fixing water leaks in gardens, cemeteries, parks and government buildings. In some places, simple fixes led to a reduction of water consumption by 30, 40 and even almost 50%. It’s not all been as simple, however. For example, it was discovered that houses near the Alto de São João Cemetery were illegally siphoning water from its supply.

The municipality plans to go even further regarding responsibly using its water. Currently only 2% of the capital’s sewage water is being reused. Lisbon city council aims to raise the percentage to 20% by 2025. The plan is for it to be treated and then reused for the watering of municipal gardens or cleaning the streets.

Source: themayor.eu

Thanks to the introduction of new measures and technologies, the amount water used in municipal buildings, parks and other has been reduced by half

15/06/2019

Autonomous drone trialled for emergency management

The vehicles can fly without human intervention and provide on-the-fly analysis that could help locate a missing person or monitor a fire in an emergency situation.

UAV-Retina, a European initiative funded by EIT Digital, has announced it is developing drones that can fly autonomously and be used in emergency situations such as locating missing persons or monitoring fires.

The hardware and software platform with on-the-fly analysis is designed to fly without the need for human intervention.

The vehicles can fly without human intervention and provide on-the-fly analysis that could help locate a missing person or monitor a fire in an emergency situation.