On June 17, 2023, almost 5,000 Dresdeners came to the "Open City Hall" to take a look "behind the scenes" of Dresden's city administration. The pilot project Smart City Dresden also presented itself to Dresden's citizens on this day.
Between 10.30 a.m. and 4 p.m., visitors were able to find out more about the model project Smart City (MPSC) in the so-called "citizens' laboratory" on Kreuzstraße. The project team was on hand to answer questions. The "Environmental Monitoring" and "Cleema App" measures, which were already being worked on in the previous strategy phase and are now being continued in the implementation phase, were presented in separate time slots.
There was also plenty to touch and try out, with innovative offers luring visitors to the Citizens' Lab. The smoothie bike in the entrance area attracted families in particular, on which the brave could make their own smoothie using pure muscle power and without electricity. Another attraction were the 3D printers, which printed any shape in a short space of time. For example, attendees were able to take home practical bottle openers or creative bicycle valve caps as souvenirs. At the SDG wheel of fortune, young and old were able to find out that the development of Smart City goes hand in hand with consideration of the global sustainability goals. Visitors also had the opportunity to get involved in urban planning themselves using "UCODE", a scientific 3D co-design tool for citizen participation. With the help of the touch tables set up, citizens were able to actively contribute their ideas and suggestions, for example by repositioning buildings or defining locations for playgrounds.
Citizen participation is also possible outside of the "Open Town Hall" event in the Citizens' Lab. The Citizens' Lab was developed in 2021 from the "City of the Future Dresden" project to promote exchange between citizens, city administration, politics and business. The "Smart Participation" measure led by WISSENARCHITEKTUR is based there. Throughout the entire duration of the pilot project Smart City Dresden , the aim is to develop the skills and services of the state capital Dresden for smarter, digital, low-threshold and broad-based citizen participation. The long-term aim is to develop the Citizens' Lab into a smartcoordination office and a central participatory service provider for the population and administration. The Open Town Hall Day is a special opportunity to contribute your own perspective.
