Internationales Smart Cities Netzwerk (ISCN)

How can cities successfully involve citizens in the development of future-oriented urban districts? And how can cities participate in a self-determined and co-creative way in smart urban development strategies? The partners of the International Smart Cities Network (ISCN) exchanged views on these issues at the first event of the Online Advisory Programme on 27 April 2021.

Dr. Julia Girardi-Hoog, Head of Department Social Services Wiener Wohnen and former Manager of the EU Programme „Smarter Together“ Vienna, Austria, and Guillem Camprodon, Designer and Researcher at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) Barcelona, Spain, provided impulses for the discussion. The presentations of the two experts can be found here on our website (https://www.smart-city-dialog.de/aktuelles/online-advisory-programme-of-the-iscn).

Moreover, Claudia Gabriela Canales from the Institute for Planning and Development Management (IMEPLAN) of the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico, together with the partners from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH shared a first insight into the start of the implementation process of the digital solution “Mi Mercado AMG”. Read more about it  here.

Co-creating smart solutions in a disadvanteaged neighborhood

Dr. Julia Girardi-Hoog shared her experience with the project Smarter Together Vienna in Austria, where the active involvement and participation of citizens was key to citizen-oriented upgrading of a social housing neighbourhood in the course of urban digital transformation.

Julia Girardi-Hoog: „The GIZ exchange on participation with Mexico and experts from different countries was very exciting.“

What is the ISCN?

Initial situation

Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) open up numerous new possibilities for cities. They have the potential to increase citizen participation, to make administrative processes more efficient and transparent, to implement integrated urban development concepts, to promote participation and social justice, and to secure urban services of general interest.

However, digitalisation also poses challenges, such as data protection and data security, the preservation of municipal self-determination and the prevention of a digital divide in society. Cities and municipalities must therefore actively shape their own ’smart city‘ together with their citizens. This is the only way they can implement the digital transformation for the common good.

Despite different conditions, cities all over the world are facing similar challenges. The International Smart Cities Network (ISCN) therefore promotes international exchange and knowledge transfer at national and municipal level.

Goal

The international dialogue supports the design of the digital transformation of cities in the sense of integrated urban development.

Approach

The exchange between cities and national urban development ministries promotes a common understanding, enables mutual learning and strengthens the position of cities at international level. In the transnational dialogue, the ISCN promotes a digital transformation that is oriented towards the common good.

The focus is on embedding digital solutions in urban processes and enabling the exchange of success models and experiences. Regular meetings of the network promote international exchange, mutual learning and knowledge transfer in the field of smart cities.

The topics and contents of the meetings are developed jointly by the members. To enable a comprehensive knowledge transfer and continuous learning from each other, the ISCN promotes demand-oriented exchange formats and common online working platforms. The network thus serves as a valuable knowledge resource for its members and provides innovative insights into the current debate. It also provides information on the planning processes and concrete projects of the partner countries.

Translated from: https://www.giz.de/