Stavanger “Smarter Together”
Situated in South West of Norway, Stavanger is the 4th largest city in Norway and the administrative, economic and cultural centre of Rogaland County.
Stavanger could be described as a pocket-sized metropole: inhabitants from more than 180 countries, several headquarters of international companies, a vivid and intimate city centre with restaurants from all over the world, as well as good flight connections to the Nordics and continental Europe.
Short distances make us an easily accessible living and working region. In close connection to the agriculture and farming landscapes, Stavanger has large hiking areas and leisure space.
Stavanger is the energy capital of Norway, and for the past fifty years, the city has been the centre for the development of Norway as an energy nation. Building on the competence and traditions from oil and gas, the public, private and academia institutions now work closely to use the knowledge and competence to develop sustainable energy solutions, e.g. offshore wind and hydropower.
Stavanger is ambitious in combating climate change, and the city aims to cut 80 % of greenhouse gases by 2030 and be a fossil-free municipality by 2040. The city’s pioneering work on smart city development has been exemplified through the H2020 Triangulum project, by establishing a smart city office in the city administration, and by being the host city for the largest smart city event in the Nordics, Nordic Edge Expo (https://nordicedge.org/expo/).
Stavanger Smart City and its Smart city department were established as a direct consequence of the EU 2020 project Triangulum and its subsequent development of the “Stavanger Smart City Roadmap”. The smart city department was a first of its kind in Norwegian cities and municipalities, moving from project positions and financing to a permanent and implemented department with administrative and political commitment.
The Smart City of Stavanger is ongoing improvements and experiments both under municipal auspices and in partnership with industry commerce. To distinguish from specific city projects, they have established criteria that must be present for a project to be classified as a smart city project: Modern technology must be the core of every solution made, collaboration between instances, and citizen involvement. The aim is to improve health and welfare, education and knowledge, energy, climate, and environment, smart art, and governance and democracy.
In Smart City Stavanger, industry and commerce, the public and academia collaborate as equal parties. The collaboration will help solve significant societal challenges sustainably and efficiently, which also gives positive effects for industrial and commercial development.
