Amsterdam Smart City

Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) is a unique partnership between businesses, authorities, research institutions and the people of Amsterdam. The goal is to develop together the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area into a smart city. ASC is all about the total sum of testing innovative products and services, understanding the behavior of the residents and users of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and sustainable economic investments. All the acquired knowledge and experience is shared via the ASC platform. In this way, ASC helps to accelerate climate and energy programs. The ultimate goal of all the activities is to contribute positively towards achieving CO2 emission targets, as well as aiding the economic development of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. In doing so, the quality of life will improve for everyone.

Urban living labs
Amsterdam Smart City has established the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area as an urban living lab that allows businesses the potential to both test and demonstrate innovative products and services. Currently, ASC has a few recurring themes in the region, including sports parks, shopping areas, lighting, laws and regulations, connectivity and smart working. Within these, ASC looks at the development of replicable concepts that can be applied elsewhere in the region or nationally or even internationally. Next to this ASC has chosen a specific regional approach. By combining regional needs with the local investment agenda, there is the potential to create new products and services, and to test or scale them up in a practical environment – the urban living lab.

The activities of ASC in these urban living labs:

• Connecting parties, building consortiums.
• The creation of diverse urban living labs, in which activities are focused.
• Identifying and connecting to local investment portfolios.
• Gaining knowledge about residents and users of neighbourhoods.
• Identifying the needs and wishes of the residents and users of neighbourhoods.
• Energy potential analysis: technical, demographic and urban planning insights into the present and potential energy consumption of neighbourhoods.
• Knowledge exchange based on previous pilot projects. 

Some of the projects

The Digital Road Authority - Traffic flow IJburg (Smart Mobility)

During rush hours the island of IJburg suffers from reduced accessibility, due to the fact there are only two bridges connecting IJburg to the mainland. This creates traffic jams, making IJburg a less attractive place to live and work, so it’s important to improve traffic circulation.

The Digital Road Authority facilitates the cooperation between government bodies and private parties. It combines different types of traffic data in order to provide the residents of IJburg with personalized travel advice. Residents receive advice through an app, based on appointments in their phone’s calendar, their destination and the current situation at the traffic lights. The Digital Road Authority is not only in contact with departing travellers, but also with the traffic lights. It divides personal ‘travel slots’ based on current and expected traffic density. In case of (expected) high traffic density, the Digital Road Authority can also increase the ‘green time’ at the traffic lights to improve traffic circulation.

City-zen (Smart Grid)

The Amsterdam New West district contains approximately 40.000 families, of which around 10.000 are served by Alliander’s new Smart Grid. New West contains the largest amount of solar panels in Amsterdam. To align current developments and further ambitions in the field of sustainable power supply in New West, this district has been chosen for the construction of the first smart grid in the Netherlands.

This intelligent electricity network (smart grid) contains additional computers and sensors placed in the grid. As such current and voltage are monitored continuously to provide more accurate monitoring and control functions. In the past these functions weren’t available at this level. The Smart Grid provides Amsterdam with better and cheaper options to facilitate the energy transition and latest developments. 

Consumer benefits:
- reduction of the number and duration of power outages
- Better opportunity to feed consumer-produced electricity back to the grid
- Increased capability to support the integration of electric-powered vehicles
- Prevention of large price increases for electricity transmission
- Enablement of active participation in a sustainable energy supply

This grid enables the development and application of sustainable innovations in the New West district to determine how energy can be saved both now and in the future. Various companies are being brought together to investigate end test the use of various technologies, products and services in this neighborhood.

Smart CitySDK (Big & Open Data)

The CityService Development Kit (CitySDK) is a system that collects open data of governments, in order to provide their availability uniformly and in real-time. Withing this project Waag Society is responsible for the domain Mobility.

CitySDK is assisting seven European cities to release their data and offers tools to develop digital services. It also helps cities anticipate ever expanding technological possibilities. Over the past twenty years, Waag Society amassed much knowledge of technology and governmental sources. This was put to good use in the development of CitySDK. Think of services that help developers to make applications that offer personalized travel advice.

Trento Smart City

According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Trento appears in the ranking of 10 planet cities smarter. This prestigious award will allow the city to develop a specific project on quality of life. In this way, the City has recently presented the strategic plan "Trento Smart City" promoting, the first event organized in conjunction with the University of Trento, Trento RISE and IEEE: the conference "IEEE Smart Cities Initiative. Trento and Trentino: smart cities and communities in the service of the citizen ", is an opportunity to organize workshops, seminars, meetings and discussions involving the local personalities, citizenship, national and international experts. 

 What does it means Trento "smart"?

According to the IEEE, which began its research with pilot project on Guadalajara city  and chose Trento to continue trials, means developing a " macro-City-system that harmonizes its subsystems dynamically with an intensive use of ICT". It means thinking about a self-regulation system, optimizing energy resources, luminous, viability and environmental sustainability. It means creating a network that can communicate and evaluated by the "Internet of Things" (network of hi-tech objects) to develop a real system can intelligently manage their resources.

This revolution will involve every part of city life: from the parking management, security, traffic, informing individual. Since some years in the province are made experiments to bring these integrated systems in hospitals and in companies of excellence of the territory, but with this more important initiative of the institute of electronic experimentation (IEEE), Trento will become an advanced laboratory, even with the collaboration of research institutions such as the University of Trento Trentino and Trento Rise, with several companies and organizations that have their research centers in the area, including Dolomiti Energia, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, Reply Communication Valley, Telecom Italy and Trentino Network.

About this, the general director Chiara Morandini, asserts that the town of Trento should welcome with great satisfaction the decision of IEEE Smart Cities Initiative, which is a result, but also a tool to further improve the quality of life of our community.

Leonardo Minuzzo

Turin Smart City

Turin, thanks to the experience reached in European policies management and in strategic planning, decided to draw a new plan for “urban sustainable and inclusive development”.

Turin smart city adopted an innovative policy of participation on urban level, which enables the municipality to involve all the local relevant stakeholders (such as representatives of the world of enterprises, of research, of civil society and of the public administrations and institutions). This involvement has been possible throughout the participation of all players to the project platform (and coordinating structure) Fondazione Torino Smart City which, in 2013, counted about 150 subscriptions.

Clicking on the link here below you can find a short video about Turin Smart City:

http://youtu.be/sRjsVebllpI?list=UUXm1E1LH5r5mQ0AvmvCTgVA

THE PROJECTS

SMART MOBILITY

[To]Bike is the bike-sharing service of the city: it counts 116 stations and 14000 users. Thanks to the choice of the local administrations to connect a very wide area with a bike-sharing scheme (linking Turin to the neighbouring municipalities) this project became the first Italian bike-sharing service provided at a metropolitan level! Furthermore there is also a car pooling system.

SMART ENVIRONMENT

Some years ago, Turin has won a European call of the CIP-EIP programme (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme -  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme) aimed to support the fulfillment of public contracts for another European programme:  Pro-LITE - Procurement of Lighting Innovation and Technology in Europe. The project concerned the best way to achieve a public call to substitute traffic lights old bulbs with new eco-save bulbs without changing the whole machinery. The issue of eco-innovative public contracts has been then implemented also in the field of food services for schools in order to reduce pollution and promote innovation.  

Urban Barriera is an urban regeneration program carried on throughout an instrument called PISL (Integrated Program of Local Development), a public-private partnership, which facilitates the interaction between all the local stakeholders. The plan written by the City of Turin consists of 34 projects and has been financed both from the Piemonte Region (20 millions of European Regional Development Fund) and from the Municipality.

Clicking on the link here below you can find all the projects:

http://www.comune.torino.it/urbanbarriera/bm~doc/pieghevole_urban.pdf

SMART ECONOMY

FaciliTo Giovani e Innovazione Sociale is a service aimed to support the start-up of new business realized by young people, aged between 18 and 35, concerning new social needs. The service provides informational, technical and financial support to turn innovative ideas (in fields like education, work, mobility, life quality, health and social inclusion) into services, products and solution who can at the same time create economic value (economical sustainability of the project) and increase social capital (in favour of all citizens).

My Generation@Work is a European Project (URBACT Programme) started in 2012, which fosters comparison, discussion and exchange of practices on the theme of young people employment. The network is composed by 12 cities and the Rotterdam is the Lead Partner. The project concerns the setting of a list of interventions (local action plan) to enhance young people employment using a “co-projecting” approach (meaning that the strategy is designed by the various cities together with local support groups).

SMART LIVING

The municipality of Turin together with the Fondazione Torino smart City organised some public events called “Smart Days” to present to all citizens the best practices to reduce consumption of natural resources and so to improve the quality of life. This was an initiative aimed at making people aware of “smart issues”.

SMART PEOPLE

Uptu – It’s up to you is social networking platform which allows to share, in real time, information together with pictures, videos and sounds concerning the city. The news posted are about problems, emergencies but also places to visit, interesting events and other useful information.

Citizen who would like to support the policies concerning environmental and economical sustainability, safety and territorial issues, can try new forms of social participation aimed at the “local smart community” creation. For example through App4Torino, Turin Smart City encourages everyone having useful and funny ideas to be transformed into an Application for smartphones and technological devices to fill an on-line form. The ideas submitted could become real Apps thanks to ICT developers!

SMART GOVERNANCE

From the institutional web site of Turin Municipality it is possible to download some Apps offering mobility services and useful information on culture and public offices and departments, while on Torino-facile citizen can access on-line to some public services in a totally safe way, avoiding long queues at counters.

Furthermore, Turin has implemented also some services of remote medicine, which provide assistance to people who can not easily reach hospitals (most of all elderly people).

Sources:

Vademecum of Smart Cities - ANCI

http://www.torinosmartcity.it/english-version/

European project shared 4 business: Bergamo Smart City

The council of Bergamo established the organisation "Bergamo Smart City and Community".

With 480 thousands of inhabitants, Bergamo aims to a smart development of its territory, facilitating the process of technological transformation of: technology transfer, energy efficiency, info-mobility and innovative solutions in computing. The goal of the association is to develop actions and initiatives based on collaboration between businesses, institutions, finance and citizens to create a solid network to increase the occupation, sustain the economic activity and improve the territory attractiveness.

The association Bergamo smart city won the first part of the project "two steps" shared for business.

The "shared spaces" are an innovative paradigm for urban mobility, in which specific areas (of limited dimension) in the city are converted in shared spaces for all the people that use the street (pedestrians, drivers, cyclists etc). In these spaces the physic barriers and road signs are removed: in this way pedestrians, cyclists and drivers can share the same space. Then people can "manage" by them-self the interactions with other people.

With this new type of road cars will slow down and the road safety will increase. Similar examples led positive outcomes in other north european cities. 

The project defines guidelines and innovative approaches to establish an alliance between shopkeepers, pedestrians and cyclists to support the diffusion of shared spaces and then increase the usage of pedestrian mobility and cycling. 

In addition the association presented SPAC3 (smart services for the new Public administration for the citizen centricity in cloud): a laboratory for the social inclusion and the urban wellness for the activity of sustainable improvement, governance, technologic and social innovation for the construction of Bergamo Smart City.

There was also a initiative made by Bloomberg Philanthropies, called Mayors Challenges, a competition to inspire cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life. Bergamo wanted to transform unused spaces in so-called "hub", places where young and old people can meet and bring back to life old crafts.

Smarter Cities in a connected continent - Neelie Kroes

September 5th, 2013

Smart cities mean better urban services, less waste, and citizens empowered to make a difference. This is about improving the lives of millions of Europeans, building a stronger society, and making better use of all our resources.
ICT, digital technology, has a big role to play here. It can boost productivity, make services more efficient, and stimulate new ideas and innovations. In pretty much every economic sector.
Mobile devices put all the information you need right into the palm of your hand. So you can spot the traffic or check up on your electricity bill whenever, wherever. 

But citizens don't just have to be receivers of information, or passive consumers. They can also become creators, actively developing their own solutions.
Indeed a study out this week suggests the European app economy generates billions in revenue, is worth hundreds of thousands of jobs. And that innovation doesn't just come from governments or large companies; it comes from a whole creative cottage industry of small start-ups. People able to identify their own needs and innovate to take control.
And that's why smart city apps and tools don't just enlighten people, but engage them, and enable them to make a difference.

But you know all this; you know all of these benefits. That's why you're here today. So let me set out five ways we can support this innovation. Support this ecosystem, to make our cities smarter, our citizens more empowered, our lives more prosperous.

The first thing we need – and the absolute prerequisite for all the rest - is connectivity. Broadband networks that are reliable, fast and pervasive. With telecoms companies that can smash barriers and think big, planning and investing even across borders and offering Europeans more choices. With services that can cross borders without losing quality, or facing high bureaucracy and cost.
Smart cities need that connectivity; our people need it; our economy is absolutely crying out for it. That is why, next week, I am putting forward plans to make Europe the connected continent, with a dynamic, unified telecommunications market.
Like with new consumer choices to make roaming charges in Europe a thing of the past. With better rules for spectrum, to make more of it available faster, and more consistently. And with new rules on WiFi, meaning more competition and more ways to log on wirelessly – making constant connectivity a reality.

Second, to innovate, we need to work together. And so we have launched a European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities.
That is a new kind of Partnership: working at the intersection of the three sectors: energy, transport and ICT. A fertile area where we see huge potential for innovation, demand and dynamism.
This isn’t easy; it's a tough problem. There are barriers to innovation, historical boundaries between sectors, and not to mention vested interests. And it's also a complex challenge: involving many different actors, each with a role to play. At different levels, in different countries, from sectors public and private. The Partnership is all about getting together to compare experiences, share successes, and overcome those challenges. It's an approach that, in the area of healthcare, is already helping millions of Europeans.
For our Partnership on Smart Cities, we are only at the beginning, collecting valuable input; we will set out more detailed plans later this year, and start to implement in the next. I hope many of you will take part – if you are not already.
Because I know that working together, we can find those solutions. And there are many outcomes where everyone wins – whether it's from sharing infrastructure, sharing data, or simply sharing expertise.

Third, we are supporting open data. The information from open public administrations is a rich fuel for innovation. The benefits are there for all to see: as citizens can enjoy new creative apps and services. Our economy can enjoy a new stimulus. And even public administrations themselves can benefit, better able to serve their citizens and base policies on sound evidence. Now our new rules are in place I'd like to see all kinds of administration absorb that philosophy; and embrace the idea of "open data by default".

Fourth, I know the key to real innovation and growth: it lies with our entrepreneurs and startups. And I want to give them the tools and resources they need.
Just earlier this week I launched the Future Internet lab. Led by industry, this is a major investment in generic technology. Focusing not on specific applications: but on the building blocks essential to creating new ideas.
And as of this week, that Lab is open. Technology that is accessible, free and state-of the-art. In areas from healthcare to transport, from media to manufacturing – or for whatever creative app you can think of.
That's something that you can turn into real results, real jobs, and real innovation. European platforms helping European innovation in European cities.

And finally: even as we roll out the latest networks, I know we also need to look ahead. To invest in researching the next generation of networks: 5G. Technology to support all the demands of smart cities. All the intelligent objects and devices now emerging from your creative minds. Offering faster and faster access, for more and more effective services.
When I spoke to the Mobile World Congress in February, I called for Europe to move faster on 5G. I am delighted with the rapid and positive response from industry.
And we are now ready to agree a Public Private Partnership on strategic research for 5G, worth hundreds of millions of euros.
The next generation of communications will look different. Not just people communicating with people, but people with objects, and objectives with each other. And those things will converge, especially in our smartest cities. 5G will need to reflect those trends right from the start.

One last thing. The increasing use of ICT cannot be to the detriment of the environment. Increasing mobile communication, and data centre use has pushed up energy consumption sharply.
The GSMA has already made some good progress in addressing this issue. Thank you: I encourage you to continue. Most importantly, I'd like to align with the standards for environmental impact of ICT developed recently.
And so Smart Cities will be involved not only in defining the uses for 5G, but also in testing and developing them as they become available. I look forward to a rich cooperation as we work together on that.

Smart cities offer us a lot of chances. My job isn't to come up with those innovations. But it is to support them — and give you the environment for success. Whether it is forums for you to share experiences, resources to stimulate innovation, or the fast networks that underpin smart cities, now and in the future. That is my dream for a connected continent. And I hope we can achieve it together. Thank you. 

 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-680_en.htm

Speech Analysis

In this speech Neelie Kroes, the former Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, talks about Smart Cities at the Mobile 360 Connected Europe Conference.
From the beginning of her speech, she stresses the advantages for citizens of living in a smart city and using information and communication technology. She explains briefly how smart cities can improve many lives and resolve many policies challenges. To do this she uses an easy language and positive expressions like “innovation”, “better services”, “less waste”, “better society”, “more efficient”, “productivity” and “actively”.
Mrs Kroes’s aim is to make people understand that innovation is something really positive, because it doesn’t come from the top (from governments or large companies), but is something that comes from the bottom, that everyone can do, because it comes from people’s needs.
I think she addresses to policy makers, municipal administrators and people who have a small industry or a start up, because these people have the responsibility to do policies, to develop new instruments and to make citizens understand that technological innovation is something by which they can be more involved, she says that thanks to technology they can “make a difference” and “become creators”.
Then she gives five reasons why people should support smart cities innovation. She uses words like “connectivity”, “network”, “partnership”, “together” and “share” to persuade her listeners that to make a city smarter and more innovative it is necessary to strengthen the connection among them and to work together. She also makes a big use of repetitions of words in the same sentence to highlight a concept and to spread her message.
In conclusion, she leaves her audience hoping that in the future the development of ICT will go hand in hand with environmental consideration. She stresses the importance to build communication networks that promote respect for the environment and do not contribute at its destruction. Then, one again, she repeats the words “cooperation”, “work together” and “chances” to leave her audience with the idea that smart cities can be a great opportunity for everyone provided that we learn to collaborete for a common purpose.