Many German municipalities are further developing their digitalisation strategies and establishing new measures on the way to becoming a smart city. Some of these are funded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB), which makes the measures and their results publicly accessible in a database via the responsible Smart Cities Coordination and Transfer Office (KTS). The latest update makes it clear that new smart city projects and ideas are constantly being launched in the 73 model projects currently being funded.
The database now contains 650 measures. Six months earlier, there were around 570. The funded municipalities themselves create the content for the database, which was launched in October 2022 and has been publicly accessible since May 2023. Users can use a filter function to see which areas are covered. For example, 114 apps, 89 tools for digital participation and 72 digital twins are currently being developed.
The KTS is part of the BMWSB and aims to establish innovative smart city solutions in municipal practice. It supports funded model projects in the development of diverse solutions so that other municipalities in Germany can benefit from these experiences. The KTS encourages municipalities to test, implement and disseminate their own sustainable and community-oriented solutions for urban and municipal development. aconium GmbH supported one of these funded model projects in the Free State of Bavaria in the development of an individual smart city strategy:
Eleven municipalities in Bavaria’s Ilzer Land region have joined forces to drive digitalisation forward. Their digitalisation strategy is aimed at integrated, sustainable regional development geared towards the common good. Under the motto “Hand in Hand in Ilzer Land: Going digital together and staying analog”, they are focusing on municipal areas of innovation and developing solutions together with the municipalities, aconium, local experts and the population. In the rural region in the Bavarian Forest, digital solutions are intended to promote the local community, for example through hybrid village centers and the online participation platform MITREDEN. The association of municipalities is also planning to set up a regional data room in order to utilise the potential of different data from the municipalities.
The joint project in the Bavarian Ilzer Land region is a good example of how individual ideas can be implemented more easily together. Ultimately, all municipalities in Germany can benefit from such experiences. KTS’s Start Smart consulting and networking service provides all German cities, districts, municipalities and regional associations with substantive and practical support on their way to becoming a smart city. The model project database is an essential part of the Smart City knowledge repository, which makes it easy for interested parties to find suitable ideas, partners and solutions.