This document outlines a meeting to develop a concept for the Baltic Sea Region Urban Forum for Smart Cities. The challenges facing Baltic Sea cities regarding green transitions, innovation/business cooperation, and citizen engagement will provide the background. Participants will discuss developing the concept for the Forum over the next few months, deciding if it should be a large annual meeting, ongoing activities, virtual marketplace, or something else, and identifying potential focus areas like environment, innovation, transportation or energy use. Milestones are outlined for concept development meetings in Tartu, Copenhagen, Riga, Örebro and Turku to finalize the concept by June 2014.

1. Baltic Sea Region Urban Forum for
Smart Cities
Project ideas development meeting
20 January 2014 Tartu, Estonia

2. Baltic Sea Region Urban Forum for
Smart Cities
Project ideas development meeting
20 January 2014 Tartu, Estonia
Hannes Astok, Smart City Lab Tartu

3. Challenge
Challenge for the cities in the Baltic Sea Region:
• How to make a green transition towards smart
and sustainable societies?
• How to boost innovation and cooperation
with businesses in the city development?
• How to engage citizens to those processes?

4. Good background
•
•
•
•
UBC with over 100 member cities
Europe 2020 Strategy
EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
A lot of Smart City activities in every Baltic Sea
country

5. The plan
• Development of the concept for the Baltic Sea
Region Urban Forum for Smart Cities
• We do not know yet what is the Forum:
– Big annual meeting and fair?
– Year around activities?
– Virtual marketplace?
– Something else?
• But we have Seed Money to develop the
concept

6. The plan
• We do not know yet what are the focus areas:
– Environment?
– Innovation?
– Smart transportation?
– Efficient energy use?
– Something else?
• But we have Seed Money to develop the
concept

7. The concept
• The developed Concept for the Baltic Sea
Region Urban Forum for Smart Cities will be
the key document to start the Forum
activities and apply for financing
• The sources for the financing will be defined
during the Seed Money Project

8. Milestones
Jan 2014
March 2014
• Tartu meeting
• Concept development
• Copenhagen workgroup meeting
• Elaboration of the concept
April 2014
• Riga meeting with Energy Cities Annual Rendezvous
• Concept verification
May 2014
• Örebro UBC Environmental Commission Meeting
• Concept presentation
June 2014
• Turku Baltic Development Forum
• Concept presentation and acceptance