LARNACA is hosting the third Euro-Mediterranean conference titled `Smart Blue City`, with the participation of 120 participants from 20 countries in Africa, America, Europe, from Australia and China.
Transport Minister Vasiliki Anastasiades in her address at the conference said the Smart City concept was not just a current trend but it the philosophy of modern and future urban planning.
She said that according to the World Bank, 55 per cent of the population, at a global level, lives in urban areas today. By 2045, the number of people living in cities will increase to around 70 per cent, adding two billion more residents in urban areas.
“The Smart City concept is high priority in our agenda. In fact, we do expect a lot of benefits for our citizens and our cities such as: efficiency, sustainability, participation of society and better quality of life,” she said.
“Our ministry, has already recognised how imperative is to boost the efforts of our cities and communities to become ‘smart’. We are encouraging strategic initiatives and actions that will result in the implementation of small or large-scale projects and in best practices regarding knowledge sharing,” she added.
Nicosia, as the capital city, represented a good example as classic infrastructure and city regeneration projects under implementation, have incorporated a full list of smart solutions.
Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras in his address read by deputy mayor Iasonas Iasonides said they had established the new strategy: ‘Larnaca, Blue City’ with the vision to transform it into a Regional Blue Economy, in education, training and research. It was also promoting the Integrated Maritime Policy of the EU in the area.
The council wanted to create substantial growth, “and to secure a future for our children”.
Dutch Ambassador Nathalie Jaarsma in her address said that with over 400 inhabitants per square kilometre, her country, the Netherlands, has one of the highest population densities in the EU with only Malta being higher.
“The Netherlands is a country full of cities, people and all sort of vehicles from bikes to boats. It has been like this for centuries, so the question how to properly manage the urban or building up environment has always been high on the priority list of national and local governments as well as the scientific community,” she said.
The ambassador added that it is clear that new policy insights and technology offer opportunities to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors in density populated areas. Many homes would become small power plants using solar or thermal energy for heating and cooling, data collection and use. “All this can help to optimise traffic streams and public transport, thereby also creating more space for pedestrian zones and safe roads for bicycles.”
On behalf of Larnaca Chamber of Commerce Giorgos Psaras said overpopulation in cities created the urgent need for solutions in every aspect of life.
“In the past we believed that only the big urban centres face such problems, but we all now realise that even the smallest town is facing similar issues,” he said. “Smart cities naturally connect creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation and in this respect we cannot find a better chance to promote such useful tools of economic growth.”
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