How you can benefit from visiting a Smart City in Spain

Photo by Dennis van den Worm on Unsplash

The photo is of a city in Spain. Can it be a Smart city in Spain?

As the world and its people are getting more and more connected, it is high time that people do benefit from Smart Cities.

How would you know if you are living in a Smart City in Spain or in any other country for that matter.

Smart City as a concept and reality is going in discussion since long.

But what does a Smart City consist of?

In what way is it different from a normal city?

Are you living in a Smart city without knowing?

Let's explore.

What is a Smart City?

Smart City can be defined as an Information and Communication Technologies framework.

This framework is developed and deployed to solve the growing urbanization challenges.

Advantages of a Smart City over Normal City

Smart city encourages sustainability and efficient utilization of time and resources of the citizens.

Examples can include deployment in cars, parking, garbage systems, traffic signaling and many more.

Internet of Things or IoT that connects the various components of cities and the sensors form an important part of a Smart City.

Things that are imagined to be static are providing data that the citizens and the administration can make effective use of.

Also, there are components that are directly related to the use of smart phones by the citizens. It forms an important part of their digital ID.

Though there are various countries in the world trying to implement it, our focus this article is Spain.

Let's talk about Smart City in Spain

Do you live in a Smart City?

Most of the people will be confused while answering this question.

They are unaware if they live in a smart city in Spain.

According to the statement of RECI (Spanish Network of Smart Cities) 40% of Spanish population lives in smart cities.

But if you ask a citizen of these cities asking them any example.

Or, how smart city runs in their city.

Or how can people get use of smart cities technologies.

I wonder if you will get a clear answer.

We talk about big numbers.

RECI includes 81 cities of Spain.

The cost of The National Plan of Spain for Smart City development was 188 million Euros.

The question to ask is what is the level of citizen’s awareness about this important topic?

How many people use smart city technologies or applications in their everyday life?

How much of this 188 million euros were spent to raise awareness in citizens?

What percentage are aware about the opportunities that have been generated by smart city technologies implemented in their city?

This gap between citizens’ awareness about smart cities and billions of euros invested into technologies implementation into cities infrastructure becomes more and more obvious.

When people don’t have appropriate information and don’t use available tools and data of Smart City, it generates more mistrust from citizens to technology.

They don’t feel their interests are taken into account.

Smart City Tour Barcelona

One of the first companies in Barcelona that paid attention to this issue was Innjoy Agency for Innovation and Development.

Mr. Dmytro Danchenko hence created Barcelona Smart City Tour.

This is a study tour aimed to educate people with the best achievements and opportunities for the citizens provided through modern technologies.

Dmytro Danchenko Co-Founder of Innjoy Agency

Like Mr. Dmytro Danchenko says there can’t be a smart city without “smart citizens”.

So citizens can effectively know and use smart city environments created in their cities.

Also, they have a chance to participate actively in digital urban transformation processes.

So, What is the tour about and what does it include?

It is to introduce to citizens and the guests of the city the best achievements of Barcelona in the Smart City implementation.

To show them how to use for their own needs data generated by the city.

To explain to them how smart city technologies make their lives better and safer.

Since 2015, the Barcelona Smart City Tour has become highly popular.

Current Customers

It has been welcoming customers from diverse backgrounds, including:

• Representatives of municipal and regional administrations from many countries,
• Executives of large companies of ICT sector,
• Students, and
• citizens

These customers booked this study tour to enrich their knowledge and acquire practical skills using the technologies introduced in Barcelona.

What does it include?

Smart City Tour provides a holistic view of all the smart city processes implemented in the city:

• Transportation,
• Smart water and waste management,
• Energy, and
• The citizens living experience.

Making the decision...

Even if you are just a tourist, it is still worth exploring. This is the direction the modern cities are heading to.

But in specific if:

• Urban development is your working area, or
• You are looking for some inspiration to find smart solutions for your city or company, or
• Maybe you are planning a strategy for your city or region. Hence, you need insights in trying to imagine how the whole concept can or should work.

Then you are to look no further.

You are very welcome to book Smart City Tour Barcelona from Innjoy Agency.

This is a great opportunity to immerse and take benefit.

How to make the booking

You can make the booking by directly contacting Dmytro at his e-mail address: dmytro.danchenko@innjoy.eu

Alternatively, you can contact via website: https://www.innjoy.eu/en/barcelona_experience_en/

Best wishes and Enjoy the Tour!

The Blogger can be reached at Linkedin.