The 3 Mantras of the Smart City

“All the protagonists in the intelligent management of 21st century cities in #GreencitiesMLG”

With this motto, the visitor who has decided to take a look at the main Smart Cities Forum that takes place in southern Europe is welcomed, and of which we are proud to be a part as exhibitors. Here we present our Smart City platform for horizontal, open and real-time management, also adaptable to the city’s existing infrastructures.

The organization has succeeded with the balanced mix of offering knowledge through its more than 50 round tables and the networking that is generated between visitors and exhibitors.

The forums are organized in four scenarios that in parallel address current issues and future trends in the field of cities of the future:

• Technology
• Energy efficiency
• Mobility
• Sustainable resource management

The smart city is not only technology, it is a new direction for city managers and planners that allows improving the quality of life of its citizens.

The 3 Mantras

However, just as in other forums and congresses we attend, there are at least 3 issues that are repeated like a mantra:

1. Public-private collaboration

Again, the dual manager-citizen and manager-service provider collaboration appear in the debates as challenges to overcome to guarantee the success of the implementation of Smart solutions in a sustainable manner.

At this point, we highlight the potential of innovative public procurement that has emerged in several debates. Innovation in the smart city involves designing services in collaboration with the private sector. And this collaboration does not necessarily mean the immediate privatization of service management, it has to mean a new framework for collaboration between the public and private sectors to innovate in new services. For this, a body of brave officials is necessary who bet on transversal collaborations between departments and private companies willing to renounce old clichés of service concession management.

The trend towards smart cities requires new legal frameworks contractual that facilitate co-design and innovation between the public and private sector. Of course, new business models are also necessary for Smart solutions that facilitate and make this public-private relationship viable and feasible. There is a road to travel together.

These are some of our tweets:

“Es fundamental el compromiso público-privado para el despliegue de la Smart City” @cesarmiralles #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) octubre 2, 2014

2. The need for a horizontal platform

This is also an old acquaintance among the star topics that are always discussed in all meetings, fairs… The need to implement an open horizontal platform, which can be connected to any present and future infrastructure of the city, from any manufacturer and capable of managing all resources in real time. You already know, the search for efficiency, savings and improvement of services thanks to all that data concentrated in a single point and in real time.

Those of you who follow us already know that we have that platform available for all those interested cities. And for those who do not follow us, you can always find us wherever Smart Cities are discussed or on this, our website.

These are some of the tweets we published during the panel discussions:

Real-time data collection, unique platform… they are talking about us! @cesarmiralles We are waiting for you at our corner in #GreencitiesMLG — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

It is necessary to bet on transversality to transform into a smart city. #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

“It is necessary to blow up the organizational structures. No to silos.” Pedro Bruna, from @AccentureSpain #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

“Data is a source of natural wealth”, @ElisaGarijo We like this phrase! #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

3. The involvement of the citizen in the Smart City

Much is said about the involvement of the citizen in the Smart City, we have also done it ourselves.

The citizen really is ahead of public managers, is much more agile, adopts the new possibilities offered by technology in a natural way and does so, of course, at a particular level.

The challenge for managers is how to convey the idea of Smart City to citizens without falling into mistaken futuristic topics and recovering the credibility of politicians who have to transmit that message.

Companies are prepared, citizens too. Is the administration?

Here you can read some of the tweets we published in relation to this topic:

“Know the needs of citizens through the digital social footprint to make decisions” @ElisaGarijo #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

“The city as a system of systems focused on the citizen” @ElisaGarijo #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities — CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

The biggest challenge for city councils is to connect digitally with citizens. The citizen is already digital. #GreencitiesMLG @forogreencities

— CreatingSmartCities (@logiteksmart) October 2, 2014

What Solutions could be Found among the Exhibitors?

The offer of exhibitors also covers the main areas of innovation for the management and improvement of city services. Visitors can find multiple Smart solutions: new energy efficiency options for the city, apps to interact with citizens, sustainable mobility solutions, ICT solutions for comprehensive management of public services…

Again the “Creating Smart Cities” solution is arousing interest among visitors to the Fair. The city platform solution we offer perfectly complements many of the Smart solutions that can be visited.

We will return to this point in a new post.