PRIAevents hosted and organized PRIA Urban Innovation Conference, on May 24th in Cluj-Napoca – a unique platform for in-depth discussions between government officials, local stakeholders, business representatives and community leaders. They highlighted the research and the projects that are helping to build more resilient, sustainable, and healthy urban communities. PRIA Urban Innovation Conference took place in Cluj-Napoca, a city in continuous development, at Grand Hotel Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Viena ballroom.

The event was focused on the top points of our urban innovation- mobility, energy, technology and infrastructure. Urban areas are growing and changing each year so we need to be ready to embrace the future as we grow and change. Therefore, the debates reflected the true meaning of what it takes to develop strong cities for the future. Also, we highlighted points that will lead to successful urban activities and we provided opportunities to build collaborative partnerships, explored emerging urban issues, discovered innovative technology for urban development.

Innovative technologies provide enormous opportunities to improve the effectiveness of business and social life of a city, therefore, there’s  a big shift coming in the Smart City movement.

How we will reshape our cities and create economic opportunities for decades to come? The innovative technology, green energy and bicycle and electric car infrastructure are definitely the answers.
Sustainable urban mobility means the design and planning of urban infrastructure, focusing on environmental protection, reducing consumption of conventional energy, reducing pollution and promoting renewable green energy, reducing the costs of the cities and companies. In this context, projects must relate to cycling and alternative transport must correlate with urban planning, education, public health and environmental policies.

The only study for bicycle use conducted in Bucharest was in 2009, and it refers to the percentage of journeys made by bicycle of all journeys made in urban areas. According to the figures provided by the study done on a sample of 400 respondents, under 5% of all urban trips in the capital was done by bicycle.

The number of biking trips does not reflect the number of bikes available in Bucharest. It is known that many of those who have a bicycle, are not using it in the city, due to lack of infrastructure and safety.

In the major cities of Romania, a few tens of kilometers of bicycle paths are found, at least on paper. Many paths, however, are almost unusable and they endanger cyclists, according to the President of the Cycling Federation of Romania, Radu Mititean.

160 km of bike lanes in Bucharest from which 26 km are in operation, 5km – in Constanta and Mamaia, 10 km- in Cluj-Napoca, approx. 20 km – in Craiova, 30 km – Brasov, approx. 35 km – in Timişoara, 46 km – in Iasi, 70 km – Sibiu. That would show, according to authorities, the balance of the cycle lanes in cities that they manage.

Even if the numbers are not large, the reality on the ground is even sadder, according to the President of the Cycling Federation of Romania, who said he was disappointed by the quality of lanes and outraged by the excessive numbers reported by authorities.

Urban planning is crucial to the redevelopment of a modern and adapting city. Cycling can create a greater sense of space while contributing to the intermodal transport systems (ex. Bike + train). We must use these tools correctly to support developments that could make our cities more oriented towards to the needs of the inhabitants.

Shifting the urban mobility from motorized transport to cycling and alternative transport methods such as electric vehicles, trams and trains, helps to combat climate change and local pollution while improving air quality in our cities. This has been proven in Amsterdam and Copenhagen, cities with cycle-friendly policies which have reduced their environmental footprint and the quality of life of their inhabitants.

Hydroelectric power for cities. Hydropower uses a fuel—water—that is not reduced or used up in the process – the water cycle is an endless, constantly recharging system, hydropower is considered a renewable energy.

The idea of leveraging technology to help cities run better is far from a new concept. Worldwide many innovative city leaders have taken steps to use technology – from environmental sensors that measure air quality, to vibration sensors that measure road and bridge safety, to parking sensors that identify available parking spots, we have begun to digitize our cities in steps.

Mobility is one of the most important challenges for our cities. Hydro and green energy improves our lives and also reduces pollution and costs for businesses and households.

Early adoption in Europe of the Electric Vehicles (EV) took off in 2013 and seems set for further expansion in 2017. Currently, the uptake appears to be restricted to specific customer segments in selected countries in Europe. High costs, range anxiety, and low awareness are the most often cited barriers to EV adoption by the broader customer pool. Nevertheless, there is a sizable segment of early adopters who are willing to switch to EVs in spite of these barriers. Although many factors such as design, brand, and performance are all important consumer considerations, three key motives for early EV adoption

High costs, range anxiety, and low awareness are the most often cited barriers to EV adoption by the broader customer pool. Nevertheless, there is a sizable segment of early adopters who are willing to switch to EVs in spite of these barriers. Although many factors such as design, brand, and performance are all important consumer considerations, three key motives for early EV adoption

Although many factors such as design, brand, and performance are all important consumer considerations, three key motives for early EV adoption emerge:

• Carbon footprint reduction. The desire to reduce their carbon footprint is a motivator for environmentally conscious consumers to buy EVs. Some are even willing to pay a premium for the zero- or low-emission alternatives to ICE. For example, 29% of Norwegian EV buyers cite “environment” as their primary reason for purchase

• Driving and usage benefits. Additional benefits are afforded to drivers of EVs by many governments and cities in an effort to stimulate EV sales. These benefits may include preferential parking permits in dense urban areas or the ability to drive in bus and taxi lanes and save considerable time during rush hours.

The deployment of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the fraction of vehicle miles traveled that are fueled by electricity (eVMT) depend critically on charging infrastructure. PEV charging is fundamentally different from the well-developed infrastructure for gasoline fueling. It can be found in a variety of locations, from a PEV owner’s home to a workplace to parking lots of restaurants, malls, and airports.

To widely accept the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and all-electric vehicles (EVs), consumers and fleets need access to charging stations, also known as EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment). For most drivers, this starts with charging at home or at fleet facilities. Charging stations at workplaces and public destinations may also bolster the market acceptance. Community leaders can find out more about getting ready for plug-in vehicles from Clean Cities PEV vehicle community readiness projects.

All these are solutions that will make cities better places to live, work and play and in the same time, are the beginnings of initiatives that will start to allow economic development and quality of life improvement that will come.

A new type of urban infrastructure the emergence of the digital industrial age is coming available and city leaders that will embrace it stand to be the ones that win in the urban innovation era.

*Completarea formularului de înregistrare pe acest website sau orice reply la emailul primit din partea Pria Conferences, reprezintă acceptul dvs. pentru procesarea datelor de catre PRIA Conferences SRL, în vederea emiterii facturii fiscale pentru achitarea taxei de participare la eveniment dar și pentru a primi informații cu privire la alte evenimente PRIA, oferte și prezentari ale PRIA și ale partenerilornoștri, dar și newsletterul www.priainfo.ro.
Vă informăm că la acest eveniment se realizează fotografii și videoclipuri live și post eveniment de către echipa PRIA Conferences și fotografi profesioniști contractați. Acestea vor fi făcute publice pe diversele canale de comunicare (online și print) ale PRIA Conferences și ale partenerilor PRIA Conferences.. Prin completarea acestui formular și participarea dvs.la eveiment vă exprimați acordul ca PRIA Conferences SRL să folosească aceste fotografii și videoclipuri în prezentari, video-uri și pe canalele sale social media.

• The Public Private Community Partnership – local solutions, strategic partnerships, leading to sustainable systems and economic development that is transferable to a national model.
• Embracing technological innovations in outreach to protect the environment, to increase local business profit and to simplify urban life.
• Leveraging technology to help cities run better
• A Catalyst for Collaboration in Energy Tech Innovation
• Is Investing in mobility a Key to Our Urban Future?
• Carbon free cities – bicycle infrastructure, electric cars infrastructure and facilities;
• The project „Mobile 2020” Integrated Planning and Promoting Cycling in the city (a project initiated by the European Union);
• European integration with cyclist rules and realities on the line;
• Promoting a package of regulations on rules specific road cyclists legislation that continues to be very unfavorable cyclists;
• The current context and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to promote bicycle use in Romania;
• Campaign against aberrant bike trails located on sidewalks in recent years by the municipality of Bucharest;
• The lack or inadequacy of legal norms and standards for bicycle infrastructure; lack of legal framework for marking bike paths; procedures for designating, marking and approval of cycling tourism routes;
• Compatibilities of various local initiatives designed with each other and with the national draft of network integration RNTCMR and the European EuroVelo;
• Bicyclist education and public information for children, the general public and local authorities;
• Promoting cycling to work and school, bicycles community problems and bicycle transportation problems in trains and other means of public transport;
• Reducing pollution and promoting renewable green energy related transport planning, public health, education, environmental, economic development;
• Sustainable urban mobility rearrangement of the whole system by which we operate, focusing on environmental protection, reducing consumption of conventional energy, reducing pollution and promoting green energy sources;
• Encouragement and recognition of cycling as an efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly means of transport, and promote its widespread use.
• How to reduce costs for municipalities and for companies?