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Our annual conference dedicated to the sustainable development of Romanian cities and regions is already at its 13th edition and has consolidated its position as a top event for the business environment, urban development & architecture and the public administration.
Encouraging the sustainable development of the country, promoting measures to increase the attractiveness for new investments and stimulating the country’s competitiveness are essential factors for us.
Cities of Tomorrow offers a platform for the exchange of ideas, concepts and know-how between the public and private sectors, with the ambition of creating the proper context for partnerships and projects leading to concrete actions and results.
Sustainable urban development is not limited to creating ecological infrastructures, but also involves promoting a culture of innovation and collaboration between authorities, the business environment, and citizens. Innovative urban planning not only addresses current needs but also actively involves residents, giving them the opportunity to contribute to shaping a better urban environment.
Innovation, on the other hand, provides the tools and technologies necessary to make cities smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Innovation plays a key role in creating efficient and sustainable cities. The integration of technology, such as IoT systems (Internet of Things), data analysis, and smart infrastructure, can make cities more efficient in terms of energy consumption, waste management, and transportation.
Such digital tools help engage citizens in governance, enable quality services, and encourage active participation in the decision-making process.
EDITIONS
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Professor Vicente Carabias is a Professor of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Engineering and the Deputy Head of the ZHAW Institute of Sustainable Development, where he coordinates the Sustainable Energy Systems and Smart Cities research group. Prof. Vicente Carabias is also a coordinator of the ZHAW Platform Smart Cities & Regions for the implementation of Smart Sustainable Cities. Since completing his Master Studies in Environmental Sciences at the ETH Zurich in 1996, he has been involved in sustainability research, services, and teaching (Technology Foresight) at ZHAW.
In addition, from 2019 on, he supports part-time the transformation of the City of Winterthur as the Smart City Responsible. The City of Winterthur was one of the first Swiss cities to adopt a Smart City strategy in 2018. He manages WinLab, the Urban Living Lab of the City of Winterthur, which offers the systematic testing of social and technological innovations in public-private-people partnerships and he is the contact person for WinLab collaborations in applied research and innovation development.
He has been working at the Graz Executive Office for Urban Planning, Development and Construction for 20 years (since 2005). His areas of activity are: expert for European and national funding programs and projects with a focus on integrated urban development, promotion of understanding of municipal challenges and needs on all administrative levels (whole-of-government approach), Strategic networking with other European and Austrian city administrations, scientific institutions, intermediaries, Co-authoring of strategic papers and positions for intergrated urban development and the urban dimension in the EU cohesion policy.
Christian Nußmüller strives professionally and privately to contribute to a livable Graz.
He sees horizontal and vertical collaboration on equal footing, transparency and the creation of “win-wins” as the key for every societal progress.
Dr. Bettina Distel is a scientific project leader at the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, specialising in the topics Smart Cities, Digital Government, and Social Cohesion in Digitalised Societies. Before, she worked as an assistant professor at the University of Münster, Germany, where she also received her PhD in 2018.
Her works have been published in leading international conferences such as the European Conference on Information Systems and major journals such das Business and Information Systems Engineering or Government Information Quarterly, but also received recognition beyond the scientific community. She co-chairs the track on Smart Cities and E-Government at the Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik. Bettina Distel is an active member of the National E-Government Competence Center (NEGZ e. V.), a German-wide network of experts on public sector digital transformation from administration, business and science. She is also member of the digital government society and member of the European Research Center for Information Systems, an international network of research institutions and companies, working together in the field of Information Systems. Here, she co-leads the competence center E-Government, a multi- and interdisciplinary consortium consisting of partner institutions from research as well as from practice. Bettina Distel has been an invited speaker on various national events and conferences.
As part of our event CITIES OF TOMORROW, we’re excited to invite you to the next energy-focused event in Cluj-Napoca! In partnership with Energynomics, we’re hosting a two-day event dedicated to the most pressing topics in the energy sector.
Join us on September 23 for the Energy Transition Conference, where we’ll explore key themes such as energy efficiency and the practical steps needed to shape the smart cities of the future. The event will bring together local authorities, industry experts, technology providers, and decision-makers from both the public and private sectors.
On the second day, AHK will host in a roundtable discussion focused on energy communities — a key element in accelerating Romania’s green transition and empowering local actors.
Let’s build smarter, greener cities — together!
10:00 – 11 :30 – Roundtable disscusion
11 :30 – 13 :00 – Networking & Lunch
13 :00 – 14 :30 – Site visit
