Beyond Smart Cities, Welcome to Resilient Cities. Positive perspectives or Nightmare?

In the framework of its activities in the Smart Cities line of business, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) conducts technological research towards societal innovation.  

LIST’s experts are working on various research and innovation projects in the fields of urban logistics, mobility as well as digital technologies for buildings construction and operation.

In this context, LIST’s expertise has been called upon to write an article as part of the 2017 Edition of the Sozial Almanach for the Fondation CARITAS Luxembourg. The article is entitled “Beyond Smart Cities, Welcome to Resilient Cities Positive perspectives or Nightmare” and was written by Bertrand Meunier, Francesco Ferrero and Sylvain Kubicki.

> Read the abstract of the article published in Sozial Almanach: “Luxembourg 2060 - 1,1 millions d'habitants?” - Caritas Luxembourg, pages 251-286:

The population of Luxembourg today is 576.000 inhabitants, but with the addition of 174.684 workers commuting every day from Belgium, France and Germany, that number increases to 750.684. Considering and addressing the challenges that Luxembourg will face by 2060, as a country of 1.1 million residents, it is imperative today to anticipate and plan for services and territorial developments that the aforementioned cities will require. The cities of the Grand-Duchy are then the protagonists of a process of significant population growth, with major implications for the sustainability, quality of life, and competitiveness of the country and broader region.

Sustainable development requires concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people in Luxembourg given its geographic location, its capability for energy self-sufficiency and the penetration rate of new technologies in the Luxembourgish society and economy.

In the first part, this article discusses the key challenges for future cities, the impacting trends, the global initiatives and the different interconnected dimensions which could govern the setting up of a Smart City in Luxembourg. In the second part, this article presents research and development perspectives which will underpin the way from now to 2060 to promote a better quality of life in Luxembourg for its future dwellers – which we all are. The final part concludes with an outline of the specific requirements for a holistic approach which will foster the emergence of resilient systems.

> Download the full article online