EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum (KSF) and the Green Digital Charter (GDC) organized the conference 'Cities in Transition - The role of digital in shaping our future cities'.
During the opening plenary session, members of the European Parliament, as well as representatives of the European Commission and of cities had a debate on what the new Urban Agenda partnership on digital transition should achieve, taking into account the EU’s future digital policies and activities. While assessing the real needs and priorities of cities, participants were also exchanged views on current and future implementation challenges and obstacles. The political debate was followed by two parallel series of technical workshops dedicated to specific issues. Concrete cases, project examples, and initiatives illustrated how cities can benefit from the use of digital solutions. The EUROCITIES GDC is one such initiative. It commits 51 European cities, representing almost 27 million citizens, to working together and delivering on the objectives of improving the quality of life in cities using digital solutions. Participants were also developed recommendations to help local authorities and EU institutions jointly achieve their policy and project objectives. The event concluded with the GDC Awards ceremony for smart city projects. The winners in each of the following categories were announced: Citizen participation & impact on society; Creation of European added value; Promoting open & interoperable solutions.
