European smart cities meet to advance a climate-neutral future

The cities of Rotterdam, Glasgow, Umeå, Brno, Parma, and Gdańsk are sharing lessons learned while accelerating the smart city model across Europe at a conference in Rotterdam 

Today the Smart Cities project RUGGEDISED, which receives funding under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, will host its final event at the Ahoy Conference Centre in the Heart of South neighborhood of Rotterdam. The project’s final showcase will be followed by the Recharge Earth Energy Transition Conference, taking place on 7 - 8 September at the same location.

Since 2016, RUGGEDISED has united three lighthouse cities: Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Glasgow (Scotland), and Umeå (Sweden), and three fellow cities: Brno (Czech Republic), Gdańsk (Poland) and Parma (Italy) to test, implement and accelerate the smart city model across Europe. Working in close partnership with businesses and research centers, these six cities have demonstrated how to combine ICT, e-mobility, and energy solutions to design smart, resilient cities for all.

“Rotterdam is committed to a climate-neutral future and together with a strong group of dedicated cities, we have managed to take the first steps through the RUGGEDISED project, which has created a solid base for the transformation towards more livable districts for our residents,” says Albert Engels, RUGGEDISED Coordinator, City of Rotterdam.

Four RUGGEDISED cities - Rotterdam, Glasgow, Umeå, and Parma - were also selected to take part in the EU Cities Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030. The Cities Mission aims to position 100 EU cities - with 12 more from associated countries - as climate-neutral leaders. The cities will pursue innovative and experimental avenues to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 while paving the way for others.  

The impact and lessons learned through implementing smart solutions in Rotterdam, Glasgow, and Umeå will be discussed during this final event, in addition to exploring how these solutions have advanced urban transitions in Brno, Parma, and Gdańsk. Outcomes from the project will feed into the Scalable Cities initiative, which collates findings from the 18 smart city projects funded under Horizon 2020.