Why does Romania need smart urban projects?
ECOTIC joins the first edition of the "Smart Cities of Romania" Expo-Conference at the POLITEHNICA University Bucharest during October 21-22. During this conference, the President of ECOTIC - Valentin Negoiță will give a presentation.
The organizers of the event are: Romanian Association for Security Technology, Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council, Romanian Organization for the Implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems, ITS Events Management
By 2050, more than 70% of the world's population, or 6,3 billion people, will live in urban areas, and cities will be the main driver of economic development and growth. Romania is no exception, even if the data of the National Institute of Statistics show a degree of urbanization of only 55%, among the lowest in Europe. However, the urban environment has a massive share in GDP, the ITC field exceeding in 2014, with 11% contribution, for the first time Agriculture. Even if the Romanian cities do not have the same growth rate as the global average, the municipalities are looking for the best solutions to allow the easy development of the business environment and to offer the best living conditions to the citizens.
Apparently torn from science fiction literature, smart urban projects are closer to reality. The Smart City concept covers multiple aspects of urban life: public services, energy, construction, infrastructure, transport, IT, education and health. To which, in recent years, with the increase in Internet penetration and the level of mobility, another element of critical importance has been added - that of the "Smart Citizen."
Local initiatives in the field of smart cities, although they started timidly, are constantly growing and can be found not only in the public discourse but also in the digitization of the administration or infrastructure modernization projects. In response to the need for current information on this multi-disciplinary concept, ITS Events Management, together with the Romanian Association for Security Techniques, the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council and the Romanian Organization for the Implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems, organizes in October, in Bucharest, "Smart Cities of Romania", the first national conference dedicated to smart cities.
"The events on technology, energy and transport, which we organize annually, have frequently brought into discussion the concept of smart city and aspects of contemporary urban life. Thus was born the idea of a dedicated event "smart city" to bring to public debate the challenges of the future and the solutions available to municipalities in Romania. Together with some reliable partners, we tried to set a direction and start. We know that the beginning is always difficult but I hope to attract the attention of the market and along the way more and more organizations, institutions and companies will join us, because we all want to live in smart cities.Says Liliana Balici, General Manager, ITS Events Management.
The event, structured on exhibition and conference, includes several sessions spread over two days of debates, will bring together representatives of the European Commission, local authorities and national regulatory institutions, as well as specialists from academia and the private sector. , so that the audience can benefit from a complete perspective on Smart City issues. Details about the event, including the agenda of the works can be found on the site www.smartcitiesofromania.ro