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Stockholm has a long tradition in research and innovation in environmental and information technology. It also has a well-established culture as a livable and sustainable city that offers high living standards and efficient government services. Stokab, a City-owned company, has been developing and managing the city’ s open fiber-optic communications network and promoting optimal conditions for IT development since 1994. Today Stokab offers 100% broadband coverage within the Stockholm region. In Stockholm’ s smart city strategy environmental and information technology are tested and used extensively throughout the city’ s infrastructure, with the purpose of creating a flourishing ecosystem that involves the city’ s inhabitants, the private industry and the public sector and fosters a dynamic local economy. The strategy is citizen-centric, focusing on providing enhanced e-government services to citizens. Government services include online City Hall services and services for mobility and energy improvement based on real-time data collection about traffic and weather. The data are collected through Global Positioning Systems placed on public vehicles, as well as traffic and weather sensors, pollution monitoring equipment, etc. Residents have real-time information about traffic flow, journey times, and best travel options, including a journey planner. The City is also using pilot projects to test technology solutions, but in a different approach than most of its counterpart smart cities: it uses large scale, real environment test beds, called ‘˜demonstrators’ . One of those demonstrators, for example, is ‘˜Kista Science City’ , Sweden’ s world-class ICT cluster, where R&D and technology transfer take place between businesses and the academia, demonstrating an exemplary concentration of expertise, innovation and business opportunities in the ICT field. Another demonstrator is the ‘˜Royal Seaport’ area which is being redeveloped into a ‘˜smart’ area with a capacity of 20,000 residents and 50,000 workers, to be used for testing innovative technologies and services in health care, energy and transport.
Figure: Aerial view of Kista Science City (source)
Figure: Rendering of ‘˜Royal Seaport’ redevelopment area (source)
Access the website of Stockholm’ s smart city initiative here.
Suggested readings about Stockholm:
- Johnson, A. (2014). Stockholm; The Connected City. Available here.
- Stockholm Royal Seaport official website (2014). Available here.
- The Intelligent Community Forum (2009). Stockholm, Sweden; Making “big” work better. Available here.