In July 2019, Gera was selected as one of 13 funded SMARTCity model municipalities by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community. The aim of the Smart Cities model projects is to strengthen the municipalities' ability to act. Funding is provided for municipal, interdisciplinary and spatial smart city strategies and their implementation, as well as the necessary capacity building. The SMARTCity Gera model project is based on the values and objectives of the Smart City Charter and formulates specific requirements for participation and involvement, accessibility and inclusion, safety, sustainability, resource efficiency, innovation and education.

Initial situation

In addition to the digital transformation, the consequences of the structural break in the 1990s are still having an impact in Gera today. Attracting and retaining companies, highly qualified employees and job opportunities remains one of the most important tasks of urban development. With the help of the SMARTCity strategy, Gera wants to set the course for an even richer future. The work on the SMARTCity Strategy is based on the Integrated Urban Development Concept (ISEK) GERA2030 from 2014, whose guidelines form the basis for the SMARTCity Gera project. As a building block of integrated urban development, the SMARTCity strategy will be updated annually from 2022-2026, and every two years thereafter.

Procedure

In the course of developing the strategy for SMARTCity Gera, great importance was attached to civic participation and involvement. Citizens were actively involved in the process from above (top-down approach) and at the same time were able to become active and contribute themselves (bottom-up approach). The overall concept to be developed was thus fed by the ideas and contributions of different groups and stakeholders. The working groups on business, education and culture, energy and the environment, urban planning, urban development and transport as well as citizen participation and administration that were set up as part of the SMARTCity concept were a central building block and the first step. In addition, a wide variety of population groups and stakeholders in the city of Gera were encouraged to actively participate in the SMARTCity Gera project through various formats, such as workshops and an ideas competition.

The first pilot projects were developed and prioritized by the working groups, the SMARTCity team consisting of city administration employees and the specialist group of municipal infrastructure companies and presented at the plenary meeting on 20 November 2020. From these, 14 pilot projects were selected by the strategy group and subsequently proposed to the city council for a decision. Following the city council's decision on February 24, 2021, the tendering and implementation phase for the pilot projects began as part of the strategy phase.

Implementation

The strategy phase is over and the pilot projects have been completed.