In a Smart City the traditional services are made more efficient with the use of digital and telecommunication technologies, for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses.

But the concept goes in fact far beyond the use of ICT for better resource use and less emissions. Rapid advancement of information and communication technologies in all sectors, new environment-friendly solutions, integrated water and energy systems and multi-model mobility planning, and new ways of thinking, provide cities and towns with an increasing set of new innovative opportunities.

The concept means smarter urban transport networks, upgraded water supply and waste disposal facilities, and more efficient ways of using the energy. Also, it  comprises a more interactive and responsive city administration, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an ageing population.

As the smart city concept becomes more and more popular way of the city development, the UBC Executive Board, together with the Baltic Development Forum and SmartLab, has taken the initiative to prepare a concept for a “Baltic Sea Region Urban Forum for Smart Cities”. The initiative has recently got initial financing for the preparatory activities from the EUSBSR Seed Money facility.

The main project will establish the “Baltic Sea Region Urban Forum for Smart Cities” to identify, adapt and multiply good practices in being smart.

The next issue of the Bulletin will be entitled:

Smart cities in the BSR

The Editorial Board would welcome the stories on projects that make your city smart. What in fact does it mean in your city? How to smarten up urban areas in the BSR? How to implement smart city innovations and approaches in policies and service delivery in cities? What impact does this challenge have on housing, economy, culture, social and environmental conditions in your city? What can we learn from each other? What practices could be transferable and  adaptable to other cities?

And last, but not least, what could be another way of the urban development, if a smart city concept is not applied by your city?

Please follow these guidelines when submitting your story:

•    Deliver the story by e-mail to: anna.dargiewicz@ubc.net  in MS WORD format. Please remember to kill the viruses before sending it. Please expect confirmation of reception. Lack of confirmation means that the message is not delivered.

•    Each member city may submit two articles - one related to the cover theme and one to the chapter "News from Member Cities". All stories shall be sent in English.

•    Each article may have max 400 words, no more than 1 page A4, font TimesNewRoman 12pt. The editorial board sometimes needs to shorten the stories in order to include more stories into the Bulletin. It is also important to include the author's name and contact details for any follow-up questions related to the story.

•    Please make all efforts to include a smashing photo or a digital picture to illustrate the article (JPG format, min. 300 ppi, one e-mail - one picture, the file should not exceed 3 MB). Remember to send us also the coat of arms of your city, if you have not sent it earlier.

•    The deadline for stories to the Bulletin is 24 September 2014. Please respect this timetable as we are unable to print out stories received after this deadline.

If you have interesting issues to report, please do not hesitate to send them. The bulletin is distributed in around 4000 copies all around the Baltic Sea Region to over 200 Baltic cities and numerous key organizations and institutions, including the EU.

Looking forward to your reply, 

Paweł Żaboklicki
UBC Secretary General