Greener cities. Communities that, through digital means, can improve the well-being of their inhabitants. As well as businesses, visitors, organisations and administrators. Green cities that can contribute to a better quality of life. In which way can ‘green cities’ achieve this? Through helping to manage energy resources and services better. By monitoring and reducing local traffic and pollution. By realising greener ways of lighting and heating buildings. The green cities can also deploy a more interactive and responsive city government. Where citizen engagement and participation in decision-making is more vibrant. In particular for that part of the population that is ageing and for people with disabilities.
The European Project
Increasing sustainable urban development in EU cities by exploiting the dual digital & green transition.
This is the aim of the call launched by the European Commission as part of the European urban initiative. With 90 million earmarked for designated projects, the initiative wants to increase the use of new generation solutions. Enabling better services for citizens. But also reducing energy consumption in an environmentally sustainable way.
The third call of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) is an initiative financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which supports sustainable urban growth.
Concrete actions
The idea is to support projects that can develop concrete interventions and innovative solutions. That can inspire cohesion policy in urban areas. The local authorities involved should propose projects concerning energy transition and technology in cities.
The first theme (energy transition) involves testing innovative solutions that are ‘transferable and scalable in real-life contexts for economically sustainable local energy networks. More intelligent and integrated, carbon-neutral and demand-driven’. While involving citizens and stakeholders to help accelerate the transition.
The second theme (technology in cities) aims to fund projects to test innovative solutions. Based on new technologies in real-life contexts. In order to provide, for example, better public services to citizens and/or enhance the capacity of local authorities to offer such services. Through experiments that could be replicated on a larger scale with the help of cohesion policy investments.
Innovative solutions that are transferable and scalable in real-life contexts for economically sustainable local energy networks. Smarter, more integrated, carbon neutral and demand-driven
Sustainable alliance between technology and the environment
The issue of sustainable use of technology is not new. Can new technologies have a major impact on the environmental sustainability of our cities? It is not a new thing that the world is experiencing a phase in which productive activities extract, so to speak, 1.75 times the resources that the planet can ‘sustain’. It is clear that technology is fundamental to human progress. However, its impact depends on how it is used.
According to UN reports, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 would cost USD 176 trillion. Ensuring human security over the same period would require another USD 60 trillion. Finally, addressing climate change would cost an additional USD 85 trillion from 2030 to 2050. Truly prohibitive costs.
Technology and GDP
According to some estimations, by 2060, technology could increase the gross domestic product by a factor of three. By 2080, it could increase the average income per capita, globally, by more than 20 times.
Underlined by the European Commission itself, the transition to green and digital cities must be healthy and competitive. People-centred and compatible with an open, democratic and sustainable society.
For this purpose, the budget available for the call is EUR 90 million from the ERDF. They are to be disbursed at a co-financing rate of 80 per cent and no more than EUR 5 million per funded project.
According to the European project, any local administrative authority with at least 50,000 inhabitants and within the established parameters can participate. This means the involvement of associations or clusters of urban authorities. With legal form of an organised agglomeration composed of Local Administrative Units. Where the majority (at least 51% of the inhabitants) live in Local Administrative Units. And in which the total population is at least 50,000 inhabitants.
Improving the efficiency and sustainability of decision-making processes will bring important economic and production benefits. And it will facilitate a better understanding of the issues at stake. At least that is expected.
Read more: European Urban Initiative
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