The role of Smart Cities in the EU recovery and practical guidelines for small and mid-sized cities - 14WS21253

Digital transformation can create more efficient and citizen-friendly cities. But it is a path best walked together, through network peer learning and data sharing. This session outlines the smart city journey, from participation in high-level policy-making to practical applications of open data and innovation in small & mid-sized cities.

The session is divided into two parts: an introductory round table with a general discussion on the role of and challenges faced by cities, and two parallel breakout sessions.

In the policy breakout room, we will present RECI's strategic project for the national RRF: a national interoperability framework for smart city data and applications following EU standards. We will also draw on examples to show how to optimise EU funds, integrating city collaboration and best practices.

In the applied innovation breakout room, the SCIFI project cities - small cities beginning to grapple with open data and open innovation - will present the key ingredients for creating successful smart city projects when you are not a well-known open data city like London, or a famous smart city like Barcelona. By capturing challenges and lessons from their journey, SCIFI will present some tips they put together to guide cities.