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‘Growing Smart Cities in Denmark: digital technology for urban improvement and national prosperity’ explores smart cities projects that have taken place in Denmark looking at four very different Danish cities (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Vejle, Albertslund). The report published by ARUP and Danish consultancy CEDI, aimed to explore how smart city initiatives can be coordinated and co-developed across Danish cities in order to help create and uphold them as internationally-leading development and test centres for smart city solutions. The findings highlight how pursuing smart cities at a national level would enable Denmark to take a lead in the market, bringing new flows of funding and employment opportunities, and to avoid costs related to inaction. It would also improve Danish towns, cities, and regions, making them more efficient, environmentally friendly, and liveable.
The report recommended five actions to the public authorities:
1. Develop municipal digital governance. Help municipalities to create their own vision and strategy to guide their use of digital technology to improve the city.
2. Strengthen city collaboration. Build on current networks between municipalities to support the sharing of knowledge to improve digital governance and the pooling of interests to attract private investment. Use these networks and the regional governments to identify and highlight areas of expertise and attract recognition.
3. Clarify standards and regulation. Monitor and provide guidance on the numerous existing policies and standards to address the needs of municipalities on legal and technical issues relating to smart cities.
4. Address public concerns. Ensure municipal governments listen to the concerns and needs of their citizens related to smart city projects, adapting their digital education programmes or feeding back needs to national government. Apply a user-centred design approach to smart city projects.
5. Communicate the opportunity. Publish a national smart cities vision to generate a better understanding of the value of smart cities. Analyse the domestic and global market for smart cities to identify priority sectors and geographies, aligning domestic competencies with global opportunities. Set national research challenges to spur the development of products and services, and to grow digital skills and literacy domestically.