Advancing smart city programmes across Ireland is the focus of the All Ireland Smart Cities Forum, which was launched this week at the ‘Getting Smarter about Smart Cities’ event in Cork, hosted by Minister for Data Protection, Dara Murphy TD.
This collaborative initiative, supported by Maynooth University, will see seven cities working together to share insights, support collaborative research and advise stakeholders on collective city priorities.
The cross border initiative includes local authority representation from Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Dublin, Belfast and Derry who together will explore common challenges related to implementing smart city policies and projects.
Speaking at the launch, All Ireland Smart Cities Forum Chairperson, Professor Brian Donnellan said: “All over the world, rapid urbanisation is putting enormous stress on resources and infrastructure which cannot be solved in a traditional way. For example, vulnerability to climate change, growth in energy consumption, water and waste management, demand for food production, in addition to the need for better citizen participation and more effectiveness in public service, amongst others. However, cities can remedy these challenges by adopting a new approach and embracing innovative solutions and smart technologies to not just manage problems, but to enhance sustainability and competitiveness.”
Various smart projects are already in operation across Ireland which address major common concerns including flood detection systems, waste and water management tools, LED lighting projects, agritech, smart retail and tourism innovations and smart congestion and parking solutions.
The forum will work to share best practice learning’s from these projects and collectively drive Ireland’s smart agenda.
For more information, visit www.corksmartgateway.ie
