The world’s smart cities gathered in Barcelona – Tampere has an active role in international networks
Last year, Tampere won the Enabling Technologies Award at the Barcelona Smart City Expo & World Conference gala. This year, the 2023 award winners gathered to discuss the potential of artificial intelligence in urban decision-making. Tampere was represented in the discussion by Development Manager Tiia Joki.
– “AI is already everywhere, but its true value emerges when paired with high-quality data. It’s about how we leverage these two together. We are constantly working to improve our services for residents and to utilize data and AI in urban planning and sustainability efforts. This work cannot be done in isolation—it requires an ecosystem,” Joki stated during her speech.
In addition to Joki, the panel included Youssef Nadiri from PNY Technologies, Dario Paixao from Curitiba City Council, Jumbi Edulbeheram from NVIDIA, and Juan Corro from the City of Madrid. The discussion was moderated by Zoe Eather from My Smart Community.
The panel highlighted the importance of cities learning from one another and fostering cross-border collaboration – between cities, nations, and both the private and public sectors.
Tampere’s innovative use of technology highlighted at the event again this year
Tampere’s victory last year was driven by the city’s innovative and versatile use of technologies and its IoT platform, which supports the city’s smart data system. Tampere’s use cases continued to capture attention in Barcelona this year, with the discussion on the topic extending to the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress, where Development Manager Dr. Anniina Autero represented the city.
During her speech, Autero presented, among other things, the Tampere Citiverse vision, in which urban space is shaped by the intersection of physical and digital layers for the benefit of city residents.
– Cities have many layers, and digital tools help us envision the future from the perspective of these layers. For example, we can explore new residential areas in advance through digital twins – virtual representations of reality, Autero explained.
Autero also highlighted how technology allows cities to involve more diverse groups in the planning process, with the goal of fostering the development of residential communities in urban areas.
– Building the best possible city requires collaboration from multiple parties. For example, we organized an urban planning workshop using Minecraft, inviting children who live in the city center. The children immediately got to work, designing boldly and creatively. Children are the future builders and users of urban spaces, so it’s essential to listen to them as well, Autero said.
Malin Anderson from Drive Sweden also participated in the discussion, which was moderated by Rose Gregorio from EIT Urban Mobility.
