More bikes, more health and a higher quality of life for everyone. Cities around the world must work under this premise. Reflect, share and carry out new or revised urban development models that encourage the use of bicycles. Define sustainable urban mobility systems that place pedestrians and cyclists at the center, progressively transform public space, allow people to travel anywhere in the city by bike safely and promote new, more efficient and sustainable mobility habits among the population.
At Smart City Expo World Congress held in Barcelona from November 14 to 16 urban mobility will be one of the topics that will be discussed. Under the motto “collectivize urban power”, representatives from cities around the world will reflect on how to improve urban mobility and at the same time reduce congestion, accidents and pollution through the exchange of good practices and collaborative work. In an increasingly interdependent world, cities must act beyond their administrative limits to solve shared problems. Local solutions for global challenges.
Cities that can act more agilely by implementing measures that have a direct and perceptible impact on people's daily lives, maintaining close contact with citizens and being better positioned to listen to their needs. Cities are the closest governance body. For all this, they must be provided with instruments and resources to carry out measures that benefit the entire population. One has to empower cities.
But not all power should rest with a single agent. An urban innovation model should encourage collaboration between local administration, private companies, academia and active citizens. A four-blade propeller that facilitates citizen participation, transparency and proximity. One approach bottom-up of public policies. Because social innovation happens in cities, and this is where changes occur. One has to empower citizens.And what role do Smart Cities in this context of empowerment?
Returning to urban mobility by bike, the collection of massive data or Big Data can allow a direct and participated management of the local cycling community to design and carry out different urban cycling projects, such as, for example, deciding which sections of cycle paths should be prioritized or providing more parking spaces in certain areas of the city. This information obtained through sensors located at strategic points, mobile applications or other technological solutions allows the generation of real-time models that determine the different cycling flows, the most popular routes, existing black spots or the segmentation of cycling profiles. All this data provides administrations with reliable resources, guaranteeing transparency and legitimacy by the citizens. This, in turn, can benefit from tools that provide real-time information on the status of routes, alert of incidents or receive information of interest. In addition, participation can be rewarded and encouraged through different recognition systems by the local community or through the celebration of specific challenges, such as the European Cycling Challenge.
Thus, the digital transformation and technological advances applied to these new city models must always be used as key resources at the service of cyclists and citizens as a whole. Cities that use technology as a facilitator of sustainable urban development and more efficient management of resources, transparency of administration, social innovation and citizen empowerment. Open, collaborative and sustainable cities. Nails smart cycling cities.
Author Carlos Martin Ruiz Senior Consultant at BIKEFRIENDLY CONSULTING SL
