The digitalization of business and society is a future trend on a scale that is not yet foreseeable. It will also influence the understanding and functioning of cities. To address issues of digital transformation at the urban level, the federal government set up the Smart Cities National Dialogue Platform in mid-2016 and entrusted the department responsible for urban development with its implementation. The dialogue platform consists of around 70 representatives from the federal government, the federal states, the top municipal associations, cities, districts and municipalities, various science organizations, business, social and professional associations, and civil society.

The Smart City Charter emerged from this dialogue. This gives cities, districts and municipalities in Germany orientation to shape digital transformation in terms of integrated and sustainable urban development, to identify the opportunities and risks associated with these transformation processes at an early stage, and to avoid undesirable developments. The Smart City Charter formulates key tasks and questions for all actors involved in the digital transformation of cities: from the EU, federal government, state and municipality to business, science and civil society. The guidelines focus on sustainable digitalization oriented to the common good and set out central demands, such as securing municipal data sovereignty, promoting digital participation and inclusion, and creating resilient systems. The aim is to promote a municipal transformation that takes social, economic and ecological goals into account in its strategic design and practice-oriented implementation.

These key guidelines and demands of the Smart City Charter are now to be further specified in the dialogue platform and operationalized for all target groups involved in the digital transformation of cities.

The object of the project is to provide the client with organisational and content-related support for the continuation of the national dialogue platform Smart Cities. The clients are the Federal Ministry responsible for urban development and the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR); the BBSR is responsible for technical preparation and fine-tuning as well as the contractual execution of the project. In addition to the organizational and content-related preparation and follow-up, as well as the implementation and moderation of the platform events along with their documentation, the task includes measures for public relations work and knowledge transfer.

The entire dialogue process must be carried out in close coordination with the client, the contractor must act as a permanent contact person for participants of the dialogue platform, be available for external enquiries and take over organizational work.

The order also includes the creation of a content-related and organizational concept for the continuation of the dialogue platform based on the goals, guidelines and stakeholder specific recommendations for action in the Smart City Charter and the publication on “Data Strategies for Public Good Oriented Urban Development” published in 2021.

The tasks are structured into the following service modules:

I. Creation of a concept for the continuation of the National Dialogue Platform Smart Cities (1 month)

II. Preparation and follow-up of the events of the Smart Cities dialogue platform

III. Organization and moderation of events of the dialogue platform Smart Cities

IV. Project management and reporting

See service description