Providers of digital technologies for cities promise to make our cities more sustainable, livable, efficient and innovative. In reality, local governments are facing difficult questions and decisions that need to be discussed openly and critically on whether these technologies can deliver on such promises.

Will the energy savings from smart street lighting be offset by larger server centers? Do smart parking apps reduce or increase car traffic? Are digital infrastructures resilient to external shocks such as flooding to cyber-attacks? Are city-led open data platforms useful and user-friendly for citizens? Addressing these concerns and highlighting potential challenges in the early stages of collaboration are vital aspects of effective market engagement with businesses and Smart City solution providers.

As part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, Barcelona (Spain),13 November, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability invites local governments for a peer exchange and capacity development workshop on how to ask critical questions and assess the trade-offs and impacts of digital technologies within urban realities.

The workshop training will enable cities to establish the key questions and concerns they need to take into account before engaging in a meaningful and collaborative discussion with technology providers, businesses and local decision makers. The following three thematic blocks will provide a framing for the workshop discussion: resource use and e-waste, digital resilience and cybersecurity, and social impacts.

Following the workshop, CiBiX City-Business Dialogues will connect local government representatives with Smart City technology providers at the Smart City Expo Barcelona to discuss concrete questions and challenges they face in their cities.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.