Innovation
To provide a learning and exchange platform between LHCs, three Liaison groups on “hardware”, “software” and “orgware” were established and several intensive workshops took place to discuss pressing issues and challenges between practitioners and experts. Several guides were produced capturing the lessons learned from these workshops.
Lighthouses
In Rotterdam, the developments of the smart solutions of RUGGEDISED followed the developments of the area development in the Heart of South. Most of the original solutions have been implemented, and monitoring is being continued after the project’s end.
In Umeå, all solutions have been implemented, were monitored during the project and are still being monitored. Within Glasgow, several solutions have not been fully realised mainly due to consequences of the corona outbreak.
Monitoring
Monitoring has been running for at least a year for most of the implemented solutions. The monitoring team has performed quantitative and qualitative analyses on the LHCs performance throughout the project and final assessment reports have been produced.
Upscaling
Within the upscaling Work Package, further workshops have been held in the LHCs and to understand the baseline condition of internal collaboration structures in the LHCs, to which the Innovation platforms are built on. Conclusions and recommendations have been captured in the work package’s final report.
Replication
The Fellow Cities have all established effective local governance groups that show a strong commitment in carrying on and steering smart city’s activities and initiatives. In all cases, they have been set up and structured in such a way as to survive the numerous political elections.
Concerning the long-term strategy and planning, all Fellow cities concluded a participatory foresight process aimed at defining a medium-long term vision. As for the actual replication activities, all three Fellow cities have defined their individual replication and investment plans.
Dissemination and communication
Communication has continued using communication channels established in the earlier periods, such as the project website, social media, videos, tri-annual blog updates and e-updates, scientific publications and news in the media. Citizen and stakeholder engagement at the local level has been on-going in various ways. The RUGGEDISED final event was successfully held in conjunction with the Recharge Earth congress in September 2022 in Rotterdam, where RUGGEDISED had three well attended breakout sessions. RUGGEDISED was nominated as finalist for the Wold Smart City Award 2022 in the category “Energy and Environment’.
