Students from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht have been working to find out – using design thinking to engage residents and attempt to develop collective solutions. In addition to hosting three workshops on urban design in Utrecht, students spoke to local authorities, companies and more at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona to shape their views before producing a publication Citizen Engagement in Public Spaces – Designing with Co-Creation.
On Monday evening the 11th of March IRIS partner We Drive Solar organized an information session on electric car sharing in the Utrecht district Kanaleneiland. A representative group of citizens gathered to learn all about the benefits of solar powered, shared cars. Soon they can start their own subscriptions to this smart, sustainable mobility system, as part of project IRIS.
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander launched a new durable energy and mobility ecosystem in Utrecht on 21 March 2019, developed by We Drive Solar, partnered with Renault. The system deploys shared electric Renault ZOE cars and charging stations, enabling the Renault ZOE to both charge and discharge.
The first version of a visionary new digital mobility service from EC2B has been launched this March 2019. Early adopters have been able to download and start using the EC2B app for Iphone and Android – and the residents of Riksbyggens Brf Viva in Gothenburg are first in line.
Several exciting projects studying energy consumption are underway at IRIS Smart Cities’ Gothenburg based partner HSB a ‘living laboratory’ featuring 29 apartments and residents testing the latest developments in sustainable living. Since October 2018, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology are testing their latest app helping residents organise and track their own energy use.
The municipality of Utrecht and the Utrecht company 'LomboXnet' will install at least 145 public charging stations for electric cars in 2019. These innovative charging stations are suitable for storing solar energy in the batteries of electric cars and delivering them back to the neighborhood. The charging stations thus offer both the possibility of charging a car and discharging future cars. This ‘Vehicle 2 Grid’ technology is one of Iris Smart Cities’ 16 targeted solutions creating smarter, more sustainable cities.
Interview with Martin Brynskov, Chairman of the board of Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC). Open & Agile Smart Cities is a pioneering group of data-savvy municipalities committed to improving everyday lives. In addition to numerous OASC activities, they and their members are integral to a game-changing new global initiative for ‘front runner’ smart cities between open API leaders FIWARE and global industry association TMForum.
Looking back over our first full year, IRIS Smart Cities is proving to be a dynamic collective, confident in its ability to deliver on a promise: to ‘make urban environments better places for citizens and the planet’. Project manager Roel Massink shares a few highlights…
In Riksbyggen's Housing Association (Brf) Viva in Gothenburg a unique system is being tested, where energy from solar cells on the rooftops of the buildings is stored in used electric bus batteries from Line 55. The energy storage creates flexibility in energy consumption and the power peaks of the buildings are cut. The energy storage also helps to streamline the surrounding power grid in the city. The project is a cooperation between Riksbyggen, Volvo, Göteborg Energi and Johanneberg Science Park.
Things are moving fast for the island’s capital, with announcements in November 2018 of 50 new electric vehicle recharging points, seven new electric buses and a bioclimatic building. Beyond announcements though, Santa Cruz is diligently working ensure these projects are taken up widely by citizens and create the ambitious economic and environmental sustainability desired.