How can cities use smart technology to enable circular economy?
Edited on
02 October 2018Held on 12 October 2016, the URBACT workshop focused on how municipalities and the private sector perceive the potential of the circular economy and what technologies can be used to strengthen it. . Reperesentatives of the cities of Gavle (SE) and Guadalajara (ES) presented technological innovations they have been using in recent, to optimise existing local resources, addressing both waste management and waste prevention.
Tested solutions include ICT systems, such as social media to raise peoples' awareness and responsibility towards waste. Computers available in all garbage trucks to inform cleaning and recycling services about badly sorted waste, whilst most of the citizens in Gavle get feedback through their mobile applications dedicated to this purpose. The city now plans to go furhter with informing people about the environmental impact of the products they buy, with enriched code bars. Guadalajara uses a Technology, Talent and Tolerance model betting on ICT to use and enhance the human capital and develop a tolerant, open and innovative civil society. The city is testing 5 pilot projects on different policy areas like the Bindogs, intelligent waste bins connected to the internet, notifying the cleaning services about the waste available in each bin and awarding the users who recycle as neccesary; Smartcross for an intelligent pedestrian crossing; Tuciudapp, a communication channel by QR codes, SMairT, an environmental monitoring system with low cost sensors; and SmartAparc for parking space detection based on computer vision.
Both cities stressed the need that projects related to circular economy need monitoring systems measuring the impacts at local level.
Submitted by Laura McIntosh on