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Our cities are the home to 70% of us. More than that: they are communities, commercial
centres, seats of knowledge, cultural hotspots, and the source of all kinds of innovation.
But cities are also home to many of our social challenges. They represent three quarters
of our CO2, 70% of our energy, and a growing share of waste. Plus a population that is
both growing, and growing older.
Overall, it's clear that smarter cities could improve so many lives – and solve so many
policy challenges. Delivering for the climate and resource efficiency; delivering for health
and quality of life.
What do I mean by being smarter? Well, a whole range of things.
First, "smart" means making better use of data, from many sources, whether from sensors,
social networks, statistics, or whatever. Opening up and freeing the data in our public
administrations is an excellent start.
Second, it means empowering people: whether as citizens, patients or consumers. Through
providing better information, and better tools to help participation in policy-making and
service development.
Third, it means removing barriers between sectors — like energy, transport, ICT, water
and waste management, and healthcare. Integrating these sectors can bring benefits to all of
them. And deliver a better service for users.
And finally, being smart means having agreed and transparent standards. So that we know
the net benefits, environmental and otherwise, of new innovations. Only then can we find
out what's most effective, and share the best ideas.
I know none of this is simple or straightforward. It needs vision and leadership. It means taking
systems that served us well in the twentieth century – and rethinking them for the twenty-first.
And it means not being afraid to challenge and disrupt.
But doing nothing is no longer an option. The capacity of our transport and health systems
are under severe strain, and money is hard to come by. Pollution and energy use are rising,
increasing costs and reducing quality of life.
Meanwhile, as they see what new technology can deliver, our citizens expect more and
more. The more they get used to systems that are user-friendly, interactive and controllable,
the more they will demand that from their cities' services too.
And these investments can give us the competitive boost we need, too. Companies will increasingly
look for smart infrastructure and smart environments, before deciding where to locate. We need to
provide them with those environments: we can't afford not to.
So Europe's cities need to get smarter. To achieve that needs much grassroots work: in
the main, from technology innovators, and from cities themselves.
But I want the European Commission to help and support them.
In July I, together with my colleagues responsible for energy, transport and research, will launch
a Smart City Partnership. By combining and bundling activities, we can help develop and
test integrated solutions to make smart cities a reality. Plus we will look at things like
standardisation, new forms of financing, public procurement, and removing regulatory barriers.
We all want to improve our cities. To make them places where people lead more sustainable
and happier lives, places where social inclusion and economic development go hand in hand,
places where we innovate technologically and develop culturally.
To get there, we need to embrace change, step over boundaries, and invest in different ways
of doing things. We need to get smart about making our cities smarter.
That's a huge leap, if we can make it. I hope you can help us.