This week, on 1 and 2 October, the annual Nordic Smart Cities autumn meeting took place in Riga, bringing together leading smart city experts and representatives of 20 municipalities from across Northern Europe to discuss smart city development and innovation. The aim of the meeting is to share experiences and contribute to building a sustainable and digital urban environment. This year's event focuses on how cities can use the latest technologies to improve citizens' quality of life, mobility and manage urban resources more efficiently.
As one of the leading digital cities in the Baltic region, Riga is an example of how a targeted digitisation strategy can foster innovative changes in public services and develop the smart city concept. During the event, Riga Municipality presented several projects promoting digital transformation and discussed the latest trends in data management, mobility and sustainable development.
“Riga is an ambitious and forward-looking city that is becoming a centre of innovation in the Baltic region. Our goal is to build a city whose development is based on smart solutions and data-driven management to make people's lives more convenient and efficient,” emphasizes Jānis Lange, Riga Chief Executive Officer. “This meeting is a great opportunity to showcase Riga's potential and share experiences that will help other cities develop their own digital solutions.”
“Since its creation in 2022, the Riga Digital Agency has been working to make the city more modern and accessible for its citizens. Our mission is to simplify access to digital services and promote the development of e-government, and we are proud to have become one of the largest technology organisations in Latvia,” says Arnis Gulbis, Director of the Riga Digital Agency. “Nordic Smart Cities is a platform where we can share our experiences and co-create new innovations to boost city development across the region.
Riga Smart City aims to create a high quality, liveable and sustainable urban environment by harnessing the power of smart technologies and innovation. We want to involve residents and entrepreneurs more actively in the development of Riga's smart city,” explains Diana Korbe, Head of Board of Geomatics at Riga City Development Department.
Agnese Buša, Head of the Smart City Development Division of the Geomatics Department of the Riga City Development Department, notes: “Riga continues to be a special testing ground for various smart solutions, promoting sustainable development, fostering cooperation between local government, academia and the private sector, and providing more efficient and usable infrastructure and services to the public.”
The two days of the meeting included discussions on digital governance solutions, the use of artificial intelligence in city management and smart technologies, as well as the role of Riga as an innovation testing environment in the European context. Riga presented a number of successful projects, including the Smart Riga initiative, the geospatial data portal GEO RIGA, the open data platform Riga.API and the integration of IoT solutions into the urban environment, the European projects 5G4LIVES, AI4CITIZENS and ExPEDite. “The Riga Digital Agency is actively working with European Union partners and institutions to implement a range of strategic projects aimed at promoting smart city development and sustainable governance. Through CEF Digital and the HORIZON programme, we are not only developing 5G technologies and digital twin solutions, but also building energy-efficient cities and developing AI guidelines for responsible use. This cooperation strengthens Riga's position as a European leader in digital innovation, while making the city safer, more sustainable and better connected to other European metropolises”, says Inga Barisa, EU Cooperation Advisor at the Riga Digital Agency.
As part of the Nordic Smart Cities event, participants also had a study visit to the Riga Municipal Police (RMP) Video Surveillance Centre, where smart technologies and solutions for improving the city's security were demonstrated. The RMP Video Surveillance Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art systems and data analysis tools to help ensure a rapid response to incidents and monitor public order.
The representatives of the cities were also informed about the establishment of the RMP's new unified Control and Video Surveillance Centre, which will be an important contribution to Riga's smart city strategy as it will use AI technologies and sensor networks to analyse events in the city in real time, thus promoting not only security, but also sustainable and efficient city management.
“The RMP Video Surveillance Centre is a great example of how technology can help not only to address security issues, but also to ensure smart management of city resources through data analysis and automated solutions,” emphasized Staņislavs Šeiko, Head of Strategic Planning at RMP. Participants also appreciated the Riga Municipality's efforts in crisis management through a centralised video surveillance and data management infrastructure, which ensures quick access to information and monitoring of situations.
The meeting also included a study visit to the Science and Innovation Centre of Riga Technical University (RTU), dedicated to the demonstration of smart city technologies and innovations. During the visit, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the projects developed by RTU researchers and students, which contribute to the development of smart cities not only in Riga, but also at the international level.
The visit was opened by Liene Briede, RTU Vice-Rector for Innovations, who emphasised the role of RTU in innovation and technology development in the Baltic region, especially in improving the urban environment. Several university representatives presented their projects, including Kristaps Kučers, who presented the EIT Urban Mobility RIS HUB activities and mobility solutions, while Sandra Treija and Emīls Rode shared their experience in urban architecture and mobility research, including projects focused on active engagement of citizens.
Participants were also introduced to RTU's digital twin city, an innovative solution that provides a detailed digital model of city infrastructure and facilitates more efficient resource management and planning. Māris Kaļinka, Associate Professor at RTU, presented the project, highlighting its importance for the sustainable development of Riga.
In addition, the participants of the event could also see the SUBmerge Baltic underwater drone, developed by RTU students and serving both research and commercial solutions development. The project demonstrated RTU students' ability to create technologically innovative products that can also be useful for improving and managing urban water infrastructure.
The event concluded with a demonstration of a racing formula project created by RTU students, in which they apply their knowledge of transport engineering and materials technology to create high-performance vehicles. This project is a great example of how academia can support innovative ideas and the transfer of technology into real life.
Overall, the study visit highlighted the important role of cooperation between local authorities and the academic sector in implementing the smart cities strategy and its potential as a knowledge hub for developing sustainable and smart solutions across the region.
Nordic Smart Cities is an annual event that brings together leading cities, technology companies and experts from across Northern Europe (https://nscn.eu/) to discuss trends in digital transformation and sustainable urban development. The event aims to promote the exchange of experiences and highlight examples of good practice in smart cities.
Information was prepared by: External Communication Division of the Communication Department of the Riga local government, e-mail: mediji@riga.lv.