#connectedInEurope: Empowering Smart Cities: First networking workshop for municipalities in Leipzig

Digital transformation, sustainable and integrated urban development with a special focus on smart city governance will be the focus of the first networking workshop taking place on September 21^st/22^nd, 2022 in Leipzig (Germany). This workshop marks the beginning of a professional interchange, knowledge transfer and networking of European and German municipalities within the BBSR-funded project #connectedinEurope.

The first workshop will be conducted in hybrid form (on-site as well as online) and thus, the number of possible attendees is limited. For this reason, it will unfortunately, not be able to consider all applicants for the first event. But all other upcoming workshops of a total number of six workshops in the period of 2022-2024 will be conducted online.

Keynotes will be given by Dr. Beate Ginzel, Director Digital City Unit, City of Leipzig on the topic of "Smart City Governance in the City of Leipzig: Digital Agenda and processes for a sustainable urban development " and by Sylva Lam, City of Reykjavik on the topic of " Contribution of Smart City projects on external engagement for a sustainable city of the future: Participation and other improvement of external processes – experience of the SPARCS project and beyond". The participants of the workshop will discuss in two parallel working groups how European and German Cities can capitalize on smart city potentials for sustainable urban development – for internal processes and for external engagement. A pitch for collaboration will collect ideas for further projects.

On the second day Elina Wanne will present the Smart City approach of Espoo, Finland and finally Nadja Riedel by the Digital City Unit, City of Leipzig will talk about “Making the Smart City real and lessons learnt: Insights of the Smart City Lighthouse Projects in Leipzig”. A field trip to some of the presented Lighthouse projects will be organized.

Representatives of the city of Leipzig, of the EU-project SPARCS – Sustainable energy Positive & zero cARbon CommunitieS and of the peer-learning-activities of the project #connectedinEurope will also be present.