Smart Cities & Regions Guide

This guide was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digitization of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIDE) and is intended as a stimulus and orientation for the implementation of smart city and smart region projects. The 12 aspects described are intended to provide digitization experts with approaches for successfully initializing and operating smart city/region projects.

Numerous municipalities have launched strategies and initiatives and are developing into smart cities and smart regions. Smart technologies can help make city life more environmentally friendly, more energy efficient, less stressful, or more participatory and transparent. In rural regions, there is also the opportunity for improved connection to economic and social activities.

The use of technologies is not an end in itself, but an instrument for the sustainable improvement of living conditions as well as the strengthening of economic power. The surge in digitization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic must be used for a leap forward in digitization that is long overdue.

You can download the complete guide here (only available in german).