Virtual kick-off of the Smart City Jena
A digital image of Jena's town hall formed the backdrop for the opening event of the Smart City project. Last year, the local concept was selected as one of 32 nationwide model projects by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community. In addition to the city administration, both Jena universities, twelve research institutes and representatives of the IT industry were involved in the development of the funding application. Around 50 people contributed their experience to the concept, which then brought the hoped-for success.
At the kick-off, the fields of action, specific sub-projects and their project managers and objectives were presented to the public.
Shared knowledge is the basis
The virtual conference was opened by Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche and Benjamin Koppe, the department head responsible for digitalization. Manuela Meyer, Chief Digital Officer of the City of Jena, then outlined the key points of the Smart City project. Its motto is "Jena digitizes, learns and shares - Our city creates and uses knowledge". It thus links firmly established Jena attributes: free transfer of knowledge in a city of short distances between fundamental research and innovative application. The aim is the broad participation of open urban society. A total funding volume of 17.5 million euros is available until 2027 for the implementation of planned projects.
Five sub-projects
- WISSENsAllmende
Digital infrastructure and data policy field of action- Backbone of the smart city
- Urban data platform
- Generating knowledge from existing and newly generated data in the interests of urban society as a whole
- The term commons (common property) is the program here. An open data structure creates trust in social processes and municipal decisions. The aim here is to facilitate participation by establishing an adequate infrastructure.
- Smart district of Jena Lobeda
Field of action Urban development, environment and transport- Around 300 apartments are being equipped with technical solutions that allow aspects of daily life to be easily controlled and networked
- Learning of the future - digital learning for all
Field of action education, culture and social affairs- Non-discriminatory and equal access to (digital) education
-> Participation vs. digital divide - Development of learning spaces with target group-oriented offers
- Cooperation with adult education center, Ernst Abbe Library, district centers
- Non-discriminatory and equal access to (digital) education
- Smart city logistics and services
Economy field of action- Development of a city logistics system
- Strengthening and networking regional retail structures and the local economy
- eGovernment++
Digital administration field of action- Provision of digital administrative services via app
- Proof of identity, citizen account
- Creation of standardized infrastructures
Contact person / single point of contact:
Manuela Meyer, smartcity@jena.de(link sends email)
Summary
Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche highlighted the opportunities for urban society:
"The topic of Smart City currently seems very abstract. With the virtual conference, a format was found that gave the individual projects a face.
Our aim is to offer broad sections of the population the concrete benefits of digitalization. As an agile city with a rich IT landscape, Jena is predestined for this.
My thanks go to our partners in the overall project and the extensive preparations for the kick-off event."
Benjamin Koppe also draws a positive conclusion from the kick-off with the project participants and focuses on the next steps:
"The Smart City project provides the necessary impetus to implement a wide range of digital projects and gives the overall development a whole new dynamic over a period of seven years. This will prove to be a highly complex cross-sectional task. Here, the willingness to change and develop and the interaction between administration and urban society are not only highly desirable, but also absolutely necessary."
Manuela Meyer is enthusiastic and satisfied with the event:
"Our aim was to enable genuine encounters in the digital space, to invite people to exchange ideas and engage in discussions and, incidentally, to demonstrate what digital learning means. We received a lot of positive feedback. The guests emphasized how easy it was to get into conversation with each other and to get a good overview of our projects in a short space of time. The participants today showed how great the openness and interest in new digital technologies is. We are well on the way to becoming Smart City Jena!"