TUD COST Action TU1204


COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme, TUD COST Action TU1204


Start Date: 
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Stage: 
Ongoing
People Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World

Cities are the future. In 2008, the percentage of people living in urban areas surpassed those living rural communities. This Action co-ordinates a trans-disciplinary network of experts and non-experts that investigate the alignment of the hardware and software of a city with user needs to promote well being, good health, and a sustainable use of resources, within an evolving people-centred consultation framework for economic, cultural, and political development

General project objectives

Cities are the future. In 2008, the percentage of people living in urban areas surpassed those living rural communities. These trends are expected to continue; the United Nations estimates that over 70 of the worlds population will be living in towns and cities by 2050.Not surprisingly cities elicit ever greater attention from government, researchers, and industry. Many of the initiatives focus upon the efficient use of resources and carbon reduction in response to climate change such as Europe 2020 and the European Covenant of Mayors commitment to energy efficiency. Likewise the Smart City concept offers a similar if somewhat broader vision of a more efficient city. The focus upon smarter and more efficient cities is important, but incomplete. It is important that cities be sustainable and pleasant to live within.Against this background, the Action builds on an ESF exploratory workshop on the emerging theme of smart and liveable cities. Supported by a European network of candidate cities, the Action co-ordinates a trans-disciplinary network of experts and non-experts that investigate the alignment of the hardware and software of a city with user needs to promote well being, good health, and a sustainable use of resources, within an evolving people-centred consultation framework for economic, cultural, and political development.

CeDInt objectives and role within project

According to the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), the COST Action is divided into four Working Groups:

  • Work Group 1: Roadmap and Research Strategy. Work Group 1 (WG1) will syntheses the outcomes of the Action into a multi-annual roadmap and research strategy to promote new innovative approaches and mechanisms to integrate traditional urbanism with the smart city concept by focusing on human-centred design processes to create “smart and liveable cities”. WG1 will also act as organising committee for two European conferences on “smart and liveable cities”.
  • Work Group 2: Knowledge Platform. Work Group 2 (WG2) will facilitate a new approach to collaborative urbanism by developing a trans-disciplinary knowledge platform. The WG2 will co-ordinate a series of critical trans-disciplinary state-of-the-art reviews of how the “hardware” and “software” elements of cities influence the form and function of “smart and liveable” cities. The topics will include Governance, User Needs and Attitudes, Urban Design, Public Health, Enterprise, and Digital Data Sources/Technology. WG3 will also co-ordinate a pod cast series of lecture on “smart and liveable” cities with presentations by COST Action participants and invited speakers.
  • Work Group 3: Living Laboratory. Work Group 3 (WG3) will co-ordinate prototypes or field pilots at candidate cities to explore new approaches for “smart and liveable cities”. The field pilot studies will be based on activities in candidate cities and include Asset Mapping, City X-Rays, 24 Hr Design Challenges as described below. The WG3 would also take responsible for organising summer schools and design challenges to train Early Stage Researchers in interdisciplinary.
  • Work Group 4: Framework for Collaborative Urbanism. Work Group 4 (WG4 ) will specify an evolving consultation frameworks for collaborative urbanism that enables citizens of all ages, sizes and ability to pro-actively participate in the co-creation and maintenance of cities by creatively integrating digital data technology with people’s needs and abilities. Where possible, the evolving framework would be tested using field pilot studies in character areas (neighbourhoods of similar features) in candidate cities.

CeDInt participates in two Working Groups: “Knowledge Platform” and “Living Laboratories”.

Links references and publications:

 

Energy Efficiency - Internet of things