Newsletter #5

Nantes, Hamburg, Helsinki 		  mySMARTLife  
 
mySMARTLife
 
 

mySMARTLife – Editorial

      
 

Over the last years, the concept of smart city (offering innovative solutions in the fields of mobility, energy, ICT and environmental sustainability) became ever more popular across the world. A higher quality of citizens’ life is the overarching smart city’s goal. Therefore, it seems obvious that smart cities have a strong focus on collaboration with residents.

Together with our mySMARTLife Lighthouse Cities Nantes, Hamburg and Helsinki, we make a significant effort to engage citizens in urban-transformation-related processes. We aim at raising citizens’ awareness and the development of new, two-way communication channels. We focus on citizens’ needs and promote the interventions to eventually offer an opportunity to provide feedback.

Thus, in smart city cases, the process usually comes down to the (co)design and (co)implementation or evaluation of a given project by the citizens. While offering an individual, more direct say, it is considered to be a valuable element of democratic citizenship and decision-making.

 		 

Participation leads to rational administrative decisions based on public reasoning.
As a result, it increases the social and environmental consciousness of the community and boosts citizens’ support for the outcomes of the process.

An individual-driven bottom-up approach, where inhabitants are an essential part of smart city solutions' design and development, is highly recommended. The specific citizen engagement tools applied by the mySMARTLife Lighthouse Cities are described in our focus topic.

And of course, we have got plenty of other exciting news for you ranging from a citizen photovoltaic power plant to autonomous driving buses and virtual reality walks.

Wishing you a good and inspiring read!

Rubén García Pajares
CARTIF Technology Centre
Project Coordinator

 		 
 
 
 

mySMARTLife – Focus Topic

Citizen engagement in mySMARTLife

  
 

All of us that work in smart city projects are aware of the fact that citizen engagement is key to the implementation of interventions in the urban environment. After all, what are urban centres all about? They are about the citizens that live, work and play here.

As part of mySMARTLife, the Lighthouse Cities Nantes, Hamburg and Helsinki are continuously involving residents in various ways. In this article, we explore some of the measures used when it comes to entering into a dialogue with citizens.

 
Round table discussion during the Great Debate on Energy Transition in Nantes (picture: Nantes Métropole / Ville de Nantes)
  
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News from the three Lighthouse Cities

Nantes

  
 

As part of mySMARTLife and in accordance with the Nantes energy transition roadmap, the largest citizen project in France in photovoltaic self-consumption has been developed on the rooftop of a new national wholesale market (MIN). The citizen power plant, with approx. 3,000 m² of panel surface and a capacity of 500 kWp, will produce enough energy to satisfy the MIN's refrigeration needs.
 
PV Power Plant (picture: Stéphan Ménoret, ©Nantes Métropole)
  
 
 

In the beginning of March, the mySMARTLife partners and representatives from the mySMARTLife Cities’ Network gathered for the 2nd Cities Network Workshop in Nantes, organised at the occasion of the 5th mySMARTLife Periodic Meeting, with the aim to learn from one another and to join a study tour on mobility innovation. The Lighthouse Cities’ mobility, energy, ICT and non-technical oriented projects have been presented and discussed. In a study tour, mySMARTLife Lighthouse City Nantes showcased their mobility innovations.

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After an initial test phase, Navya’s autonomous shuttle bus operated on a 2.5 km course in real traffic in Nantes until mid-May. Navya's route includes a positive energy road covered by solar panels which is compensating for the shuttles energy consumption.

READ MORE

 		 
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Hamburg

  
 
State Councillor Dr. Tabbara tests the virtual reality walk through Bergedorf (picture: Senate Chancellery of Hamburg)
  

In view of the European elections on 26 May 2019, State Councillor Annette Tabbara presented selected EU projects as part of a small tour in Hamburg on Tuesday, 30 April 2019. Dealing with the question what Europe does concretely mean for Hamburg, local and regional press was invited to a presentation of mySMARTLife and its various smart city solutions. As part of a virtual reality walk, the Bergedorf energy campus and the transport company VHH electric bus workshop were virtually brought to the town hall.
 
 
 

As part of the European Week in Hamburg, mySMARTLife partner konsalt organised an event on 7 May 2019 with the motto “Smart City – experience and shape urban development”. Over 60 participants followed the invitation to the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) of Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) in Hamburg-Bergedorf.

 READ MORE

 		 
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Helsinki

  
 

One of the overarching goals of the mySMARTLife interventions is to increase the capacity and motivation of citizens to participate in the low carbon city transition. Sharing precise and timely open data in a user-friendly format is an important method to facilitate participation and co-creation. Many actions in the mySMARTLife Helsinki project produce interesting open data. The CityPlanner tool is one solution for sharing this data with the citizens.

 
Fotorealistic 3D image of Helsinki (picture: VTT/CityPlanner)
  
 
 

In mySMARTLife, a first/last mile robot bus is being piloted in Helsinki for two years on open streets and other roads as part of Helsinki RobobusLine project. The intervention consists of two test periods of approximately six months, mainly taking place in the warmer season of the year. The intervention aims at testing the potential of robot bus services as part of a sustainable public transit system, i.e. how robot buses would fit to the current transport system and work as part of the public transport.

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Heating is monitored and controlled with room-level accuracy in one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in Finland. During 2018, the Viikki Environment House in Helsinki achieved 8% of further savings in weather-corrected energy consumption thanks to this mySMARTLife solution. Furthermore, demand response in district heating grids is being piloted in Helsinki for the first time.

READ MORE

 		 
 
 
 

mySMARTLife – Project News

 		 
 

Capacity building in mySMARTLife – Webinar and Study visit in Rijeka


In mySMARTLife, capacity building is playing a vital role to ensure a mutual learning process between the Lighthouse Cities (Nantes, Hamburg and...
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Smart City Lighthouse Projects meet at the European Smart Projects Summit in San Sebastián


26 March 2019, San Sebastián, Spain: part of the mySMARTLife team and representatives of the other 13 European Smart Cities and Communities...
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Ride that Bike - Palencia awarded best organising city of the 'Social Biking Challenge 2018'


mySMARTLife Follower City Palencia has been awarded as the best local organiser of the 'Social Biking Challenge 2018' by the organising committee of...
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mySMARTLife – Events

 		 
 
EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2019
17-21 June 2019, Brussels, Belgium

The Policy Conference of EUSEW 2019 will take place in Brussels from 18 to 20 June 2019. A key feature of the Policy Conference is the Networking Village. It offers a platform for exchanging ideas.
As part of the EU Smart Cities Information System (SCIS), mySMARTLife will be represented at the SCIS stand. Moreover, mySMARTLife Lighthouse City Helsinki's partner Helen will present "Designated Panels - Engaging Customers in Solar Energy Production" in the SCIS workshop on “Empowering and financing sustainable energy projects”.

 
 
 
Nordic Edge Expo & Conference 2019
24-26 September 2019, Stavanger, Norway

Nordic Edge Expo is a three-day conference covering Smart City topics such as mobility, education, health, energy and renewables, governance, infrastructure, architecture, media, art, safety and citizen involvement. Nordic Edge Expo is also a three-day exhibition showcasing new technological solutions that will make cities and communities smarter and greener. In addition, workshops and interactive sessions of knowledge exchange will inspire attendees in current and future Smart City initiatives.

 
 
 
Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona
19-21 November 2019, Barcelona, Spain

Smart City Expo World Congress provides a unique meeting spot for smart city sectors and an innovative platform for urban action worldwide. Its aim is to empower cities and collectivise urban innovation across the globe. Through promoting social innovation, establishing partnerships and identifying business opportunities, the event is dedicated to creating a better future for cities and their citizens worldwide.
 
 
 
More Events
 
 
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News from our Sister Projects

  
 

mySMARTLife is one of fourteen European Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse projects, currently receiving funding within the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme.

New SCIS video "Hot Turkey"

In April, Anthony Colclough from EUROCITIES talked to the Turkish demo sites of CITyFieED, REMOURBAN and MAtchUP finding out more about building retrofits and district heating system projects aimed to seriously reduce energy consumption. However, a number of issues, including an attempted military coup, threw hurdles in the projects’ paths.
Listen to the entire podcast on the SCIS website: Episode 6: "Hot Turkey"

 		 

The smart cities family keeps growing! Welcome to +CityxChange & MAKING-CITY!

At the end of 2018, two new Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse (SCC1) projects have been launched: +CityxChange and MAKING-CITY. They committed to strengthen their cooperation with the other 12 SCC1 projects by signing an amended manifesto of cooperation at the European Smart Projects Summit in San Sebastián - a great occasion to present you these two projects in more detail.

READ MORE

 		 
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About mySMARTLife

  
Hand holding a digital tablet with a contemporary smart city and apps icons (picture: Shutterstock.com, elenabsl)
  

The mySMARTLife project aims at making the three Lighthouse Cities of Nantes, Hamburg and Helsinki more environmentally friendly by reducing the CO2 emissions of cities and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

Other activities are focusing on "Inclusive cities", offering a high quality of life in the cities. 
 
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Picture Sources:
Crowd of anonymous people walking on busy city street:  Shutterstock.com, BABAROGA | Round table discussion during the Great Debate on Energy Transition in Nantes: Nantes Métropole / Ville de Nantes | PV Power Plant: Stéphan Ménoret, ©Nantes Métropole | State Councillor Dr. Tabbara tests the virtual reality walk through Bergedorf: Senate Chancellery of Hamburg | Fotorealistic 3D image of Helsinki: VTT/CityPlanner | Hand holding a digital tablet with a contemporary smart city and apps icons: Shutterstock.com, elenabsl

 		 
mySMARTLife
 

Project Coordinator: Rubén García Pajares, CARTIF Technology Centre
Contact: mysmartlife@mysmartlife.eu | +34 661 427 853
 

Editorial: Kathrin Eckerlin, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum
Contact: kathrin.eckerlin@steinbeis-europa.de | +49 711 25 24 20 16
  www.mysmartlife.eu  
 
  Technology Centre Cartif   Nantes Metropole   engie   armines   Cerema   Enedis   Hansestadt Hamburg  
 
  HafenCity Universität   HAW Hamburg   2. enercity   Telekom   Konsult   Energienetz Hamburg   City of Helsinki  
 
  Forum Virum Helsinki   vtt   HELEN   Fourdeg   Salusfin   Metroploia University of Applied Sciences   Steinbeis Europa  
 
  Tecnalia - INspiring Business   Nobatek   ESADE   Bydgoszcz   Rijeka   Ayuntamiento de Palencia  
 
 
 
European Union
 
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731297.
  
 
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