The role of cities has become increasingly significant in recent decades. The majority of the world’s population lives in those urban areas where most of the wealth is produced, energy and information are consumed and waste and pollution are generated. These urban agglomerations are witnessing major technological and social transformations, resulting in new lifestyles and inequalities at the same time.

Smart cities are currently considered one of the most powerful tools to be used to deal with contemporary challenges at local level, such as pollution, energy efficiency, transportation, social inclusion and welfare, and to attract investments. In this framework, cities become potential platforms where major building blocks such as infrastructure, urban planning, rules enforcement and active citizenship might be glued together into a system that is able to respond dynamically to a new set of citizens‘ needs.

Overall, the main goal is to offer better services and to increase quality of life while guaranteeing infrastructure security and personal safety of citizens-consumers. Furthermore, dealing with the multiple challenges associated with the realization of smart city projects requires a holistic consideration of different policy areas (ICT, transport, energy and water) with the inclusion of all stakeholders, such as governmental and non-governmental actors, private sector players and citizens.

The aim of the course is:

• To analyse the factors driving the development of smart city projects; and
  To provide participants with the knowledge and skills that are needed to understand their main technological, economic and regulatory challenges.

• A multidiscipinary approach
• A platform to exchange experiences and best practices
• International case studies
• Interactive sessions
• Debate with experienced stakeholders

• Regulation of smart infrastructures
• Regulation of smart services
• Competition
• Smart mobility
• Open vs. closed infrastructure
• Big Data & Open Data
• City planning
• Sharing platforms
• Blockchain technology
• Digital rights
• Welfare and inclusion technologies
• Social innovation

The training course will be provided in English.

The intensive course is divided into three days, as follows:

• Day 1 – Governing smart cities
• Day 2 – Mobility
• Day 3 – Data-driven cities and digital citizenship

First, an overview of the concept of the smart city will be provided, including its evolution and importance as a political tool, describing the actors and services it involves and how these are regulated. Thus, the second day will focus on mobility, a sector where technological innovations and new demands emerging from citizens are enabling a radical shift of paradigm, opening up technological, economic and political challenges. Finally, the last day tackles the challenges raised by data-driven cities for citizenship, addressing digital rights and social innovations in smart cities.

• Policy-makers
• Regulators
• City planners
• Utility network specialists
• Industry experts
• Startuppers
• Researchers
• Local decision-makers
• Community managers