The forum serves as a platform for exchange on the processes that facilitate contemporary modern city development, including mobility, environment, energy, housing and resident involvement. One phenomenon that is crucial for building an intelligent city is to drive smart strategies and support innovative solutions and enterprises such as start-up companies.
Wroclaw has carried a prize for cities over 500 thousand residents. The laudation says: "The vision to convert Wroclaw into a Smart City is rested on several pillars: Strategy, or a comprehensive approach to Smart initiatives; Residents and citizen involvement; Quality of Life; Creative Development, including open access to data and promoting start-up companies. Wroclaw is a S.M.A.R.T city for its conceptions, processes and tools."
The award was presented to Vice Mayor Maciej Bluj: "Smart Cities are not built by officials, they develop as a concerted effort from the citizens" says Maciej Bluj. "The start-up environment is an important and active group in Wroclaw. As they develop their activities and new products, they also offer solutions that might be also useful for city residents. The city authorities may use their data and solutions to benefit the residents of Wroclaw. The Smart City Forum attracts a number of large global businesses and their representatives. They consider start-ups to provide innovative solutions to be used by smart and modern cities.
Maciej Bluj said that the award was very important for Wroclaw. "A a sign of recognition as it is, we treat it both as an obligation and a clue that we are heading in the right direction.
This is yet another distinction that Wroclaw has carried off for investment in solutions for smart urban management. In November 2015, during a conference in Hong Kong that gathered the representatives of the cities that use smart and sustainable mobility solutions, the capital of Lower Silesia was awarded the Smart Mobility City Award.
During 3. Smart City Forum, Legnica and Lublin received awards for cities under 100 thousand residents and between 100 and 500 thousand residents, respectively.
