Cluster

Smart cities use technology, natural resources and human capital to build sustainable and inclusive urban development models.

To materialize this vision, creating strategies based on knowledge and data is necessary. Smart Cities are focused on their citizens and aim to respond in real-time to urban challenges such as climate change.

Urban intelligence includes collective transport networks responsive to user flow and traffic, better water supply systems and new waste management capabilities, and more efficient lighting and heating of public space.

At the same time, a Smart City includes a more interactive and sustainable city administration capable of meeting the population's needs, such as employment, mobility and affordable housing.

The Smart Cities cluster includes a set of transversal areas, such as Energy, Mobility, Environment, Governance and Quality of Life, and the area of Information and Communication Technologies. In this sense, a smart city is not restricted to the geographical limitations of a municipality and requires cooperation between companies, associations, universities, R&D centres, municipalities, public bodies, and civil society.

In Portugal, we have been witnessing the emergence of a cluster of companies leading innovation and promoting a change in the paradigm of planning and management of urban spaces, which takes advantage of the latest technological developments available.

At the same time, we observe the urban transformation of Portuguese cities that combine mobility, technology, energy efficiency, environment, demographic management, urbanism and knowledge economy. This cluster of smart cities proves to have an impact on the country's economy, presenting a high strategic potential, both from the point of view of internationalization capacity and the creation of value, employment and innovation.

With more than 40 cities investing in projects aimed at transforming them into Smart Cities, and the consequent improvement in the quality of life of their citizens, Portugal has the tools and essential skills of a country at the forefront of innovation. Lisbon and Porto stand out, being in Europe's Top 50 most innovative cities, according to the Innovation Cities™ Index 2021.