is the new and personal cause to which Dimo ​​Dimov-Lemuel dedicates his time, knowledge and experience in Stara Zagora

Part I

The recent debate about smart city research has been driven by the discovery and accessibility of brand new technologies and new ideas related to their social impact in local communities.

Beyond the heightened noise and expectations in the IT industry, Dimo ​​and the InnovatEase team  are convinced that the research on next-generation smart cities must build on existing scientific approaches, achievements, and experience from the current diverse implementations of next-generation smart cities projects around the world.

The main contribution of the recognition of this cause by the general public is that it is organized around a framework that aims to integrate the technological complexity, human and social dynamics, and strategic orientation of next-generation smart cities.

One of the scientific achievements worthy of attention, which can serve as an “accelerator” of efforts to advance in creating a favorable community environment for building smart cities is the “Smart City Initiative Design (SCID) framework”

New generation smart cities, as urban innovation and transformation initiatives, aim to use physical infrastructure, information and communication technologies (ICT), knowledge resources and social infrastructure for economic recovery and upliftment, social cohesion, better urban administration and management of all types of infrastructure.

The Smart City  ( Smart City or Smart Cities ) as an “activator” of change.

A smart city, according to (Giffinger et al., 2007), is “A city that presents itself in a forward-looking way in terms of economy, people, governance, mobility, environment and life, built on the intelligent combination of assets and activities of self-reliant, independent and aware citizens.”

Smart cities are expected to dramatically improve the quality of life of their citizens and local communities, encourage investment, and create sustainable urban and community environments.

Three key elements characterizing the concept of a smart city, identified in

(Hollands, 2008) include:

1. Utilization of networked infrastructures to improve economic and municipal efficiency and create conditions for social, cultural, urban and community development; infrastructures, including information and communication technologies (ICT), (utilization of networked infrastructures).

2. Adoption of technological business solutions for urban development (business-led urban development).

• Public participation and adoption:  Successful implementation of IoT in smart cities requires the active participation and adoption of citizens and the business community.
• Economic sustainability:  Assessing the economic aspects and securing funding for the development, implementation and maintenance of IoT systems as key factors for the success of smart city projects.
• Scalability and flexibility  ( the ability of a system, application, or process to expand or contract, responding adequately to changing needs and conditions ) :  IoT systems must be designed with scalability and flexibility so that they can adapt to the growing volume of data and the changing needs of the city.

3. Social, ecological, energy-efficient sustainability (social and environmental sustainability), where social sustainability implies social cohesion and a sense of belonging of people from local communities, while environmental sustainability refers to the ecological and “green” consequences of urban growth and development.

The prerequisites for creating an environment and culture for designing next-generation smart city initiatives are related to stimulating spatial intelligence of cities,  as a composite capability that allows city communities to harness intellectual capital, institutions, and physical infrastructure to address problems and challenges, as well as to provide next-generation smart products and services.

• to be continued…