Smart City Consulting
I support cities and municipalities in developing a smart city strategy and carrying it through.
From analysis to roadmap
It does not start with technology but with taking stock: where does the city stand, what are its potentials and problems, what is already running? From that come long-term goals and a strategy that fits the city, not a vendor’s brochure. At the end stands an action plan with a roadmap: who delivers what and when, and how progress will be measured.
Technology comes after the question
Only once the goals stand is technology chosen. I assess systems independently of any vendor, watch for interplay rather than isolated fixes, and make sure sensor networks, data platforms and AI methods fit into the infrastructure the city already has. Not every city needs every technology; the use case decides what carries.
Participation is the core, not the garnish
A smart city strategy concerns politics, administration, business and the urban public at once. I organise workshops, training and participation formats so that these groups carry the strategy rather than endure it. Civic tech belongs here: people who volunteer their technical skills for their city are an asset to any project, and a good strategy involves the urban public in the technical development too.
Delivery that outlives the funding period
I accompany delivery, name risks, evaluate results and adjust the strategy when reality demands it. Viability also means financing and operating models and ecological and social criteria: a strategy that only thinks as far as the end of the grant notice is not one.
What this consulting is not
Sales. I sell no systems, am tied to no vendor, and have no reason to recommend more technology than the task requires.
Frequent questions
Is this about sensors and dashboards?
Partly, but not first. The question is which urban problem should be solved and whether it needs technology at all.
Where do citizens come in?
As participants, not as a data source. Participation formats are part of a smart city for me.