Papastergiou: 'There are no smart cities without smart citizens'

The "smart cities" of tomorrow will not only have technology but must be human and livable, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said at the start of the 12th Future of Cities Conference 2024 on Tuesday, where he is representing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"Essentially, we want cities where citizens feel good and want to live there. This is what we need to hold on to: how to make cities more attractive and friendly to children, families, people with disabilities," he pointed out.

At the same time, he stressed that making cities livable was also the job of each individual, through their behaviour. "There are no smart cities without smart citizens, as regards their social behaviour," he said, noting that this was not just the job of municipalities but ordinary people.

Papastergiou said that roughly half a billion euros in financing was available to transform municipalities to create smart systems and networks, adding that procedures and approvals will be accelerated to get projects and programmes underway by the end of the summer.

As regards the new challenges, he said the climate crisis must be the top priority and finding ways to be pro-active and preventive, building infrastructure for emergencies, such as generators, energy systems and communications system.

He also highlighted the importance of an app for citizens' complaints, saying it was important to listen to what people want and their problems in order to rebuild trust between citizens and municipal authorities.