Check Out These Smart Citizen Initiatives
Citizen inclusion is one of the key foundations in the development of Smart Cities. It has the power to streamline the adoption of different tactics and adapt to both implemented changes and potential future challenges. Getting your community on board along any step in the life of a smart city is crucial, as they’re ultimately the ones who are set to benefit the most from it.
As smart communities grow and new ones continue to appear around the world, another hot topic that often pops up is that of interconnectivity - and not just in terms of logistical infrastructure, but connectivity between citizens. On that note, last year we saw a pioneering initiative coming from Lithuania. Built as a way to counter some of the effects of the pandemic, such as the inability to travel to see loved ones or visit new places, Vilnius created a real-time “portal” between itself and the city of Lublin in Poland. This futuristic approach was designed to bring unity and connect cities over 600km apart in real time, allowing citizens to communicate with each other through a large screen on either end via the simple medium of body language.
The Vilnius-Lublin portal alone is an exemplary case study on how to use innovative technology to support human connection, particularly in troubled times, as evidenced by the pandemic.
The initiative is part of a larger project called PORTAL, kickstarted in association with the Center of Intercultural Creative Initiatives “Crossroads”; their plan is to expand this to other cities worldwide in order to bring them together, fomenting citizen dialogue and cultural exchange. Development is now underway to connect Vilnius with both Reykjavik and Vilnius, creating bridges for unity and an invitation to rise above prejudices and disagreements, minimising the idea of us and them.
Another project that is also worthy of note is Smartcitizen.me. Putting at their core the importance of citizens’ involvement in the life of smart cities, the platform empowers smart involvement through a sensory KIT for citizen measurements and other initiatives, which aim to create stronger bonds inside smart communities.
Lastly, we also have the “Right to the Smart City” movement, which follows a set of recommendations to promote openness, support, involvement, decision-making, and other important roles for citizens in smart cities, ultimately encouraging the view of the community as a result of collective effort.
This human element is not only about individuals leveraging information for the creation of citizen-centric smart communities. It is about the empowerment of citizens to contribute to the continued development and evolution of Smart Cities.
These are some of my favourite examples, but there are of course many more. Which would you include in this list?
