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Jan 30 2020
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A Charter for the Smart City II

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Project Background

All over Europe, so-called ‘smart cities’ are the testing grounds for new technologies that affect how we live, how we organise our societies and what our ethical foundation is. These technologies often involve the use of big data and devices that can act with a degree of autonomy. The development of new technologies therefore cannot be left to engineers and managers; it requires public debate and democratic control. Given the opportunities that new technologies offer for reducing the ecological footprint of cities and creating new urban commons, as well as the potential threats they pose to civil liberties and social justice, GEF aims to stimulate the debate on smart cities. Key questions must be considered: who owns the data collected? Which decisions can we responsibly outsource to algorithms? 

Project Objectives and Activities

To this end, GEF has developed, with the support of its partners, a Charter for the Smart City, consisting of guiding principles that will make it easier for green European politicians and activists to assess and steer technological innovations in their cities. Throughout 2019, ideas were solicited digitally and through events across Europe, including best practises from NGOs, experts and local green politicians, as well as from GEF partner foundations and other Green European actors. Many of the issues that the Charter deals with, such as algorithmic discrimination, automated facial recognition and smart mobility, will rise in prominence in the coming years. 

 

The Charter

 

Read the charter now: smartcitycharter.eu

In Dutch, French, German or Czech

 

What is the charter? Why do we need it?

 

Podcast: Introduction to Digital City

Listen to tales from the same city, as citizens experience the digital transformations in daily life.

 

Organise! Object! Outsmart the Paradigm!

Read this publication and use it to learn about smart cities with an added Eastern European perspective, have some fun along the way and feel empowered enough to promote the critical solutions for smart city implementation in your city!

Read now

 

 

 

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Jan 31 2019
Love0

A Charter for the Smart City

By

Project Background

People make technology, but technology in turn influences our lives, our societies and even our ethics. The development of new technologies therefore cannot be left to engineers and managers; it requires public debate and democratic control.

All over Europe, so-called ‘smart cities’ are the testing grounds for new technologies that affect how we live. These technologies often involve the use of big data and devices that can act with a degree of autonomy.

Many local politicians find it hard to keep up to speed with the technologies being used in their cities, let alone make informed choices during the development and implementation of these technologies. This needs to change.

Given the opportunities that new technologies offer for reducing the ecological footprint of cities and creating new urban commons, as well as the potential threats they pose to civil liberties and social justice, Greens should take the lead in the debate on smart cities. Key questions must be considered: who owns the data collected? Which decisions can we responsibly outsource to algorithms?

Project Objectives and Activities

This transnational project aims to create a Charter for the Smart City, consisting of 10-20 guiding principles that will make it easier for green European politicians and activists to assess and steer technological innovations in their cities.

The Charter will draw inspiration from the values of the European Green Party Charter, as well as one that Bureau de Helling is writing for Dutch cities in 2018.

The project partners will solicit ideas for the Charter, including best practices from NGOs, experts and local green politicians, as well as from GEF partner foundations and from other actors of the European Green family through roundtable discussions across Europe.

The Charter – a co-creation

Besides the events, this transnational project also incorporated a digital exchange of ideas. The draft Charter for the Smart City with best practices from many European cities was open for comments online until mid-August 2019. Head to www.smartcitycharter.eu to see the result.

At the end of the year, the Charter will also be published as a booklet.