Prof. Dr. Maria Wimmer is a co-author of both contributions presented here. Her research focuses on e-government, digital citizen participation, and the application of innovative technologies to optimize public services. At the IFIP EGOV 2024 conference, she has significantly contributed to the discussion on the digitalization of public administration and the use of smart city technologies.

Summary of the IFIP EGOV 2024 Conference

The IFIP EGOV 2024 Conference, hosted by the University of Ghent and KU Leuven from September 1 to 5, 2024, focuses on topics in e-government research, including e-democracy, open government, GovTech, and algorithmic governance. The event provides a forum for scholarly exchange on digitalization and its impact on public administration. Complementing the main conference days in Leuven, a PhD Colloquium and a Junior Faculty School will take place in Ghent on September 1 and 2 to support early-career researchers.

Highlighted Contributions

Smart City Participation: Methodological approach to engage schools
(Link to the article: CEUR-WS Paper 10)

This article presents a methodological approach to involving students in smart city projects, addressing the typical underrepresentation of children and young people in such processes. The approach aims to actively engage students by developing future scenarios for a smart city. The article details the implementation of this method in three different types of schools, involving 730 students and generating 606 ideas. The focus is on collecting participation ideas and methodologically integrating them into municipal planning processes.

Comparative Analysis of Digital Twins in Smart Cities
(Link to the article: CEUR-WS Paper 11)

This article explores the concept of digital twins in smart cities, providing a comparative analysis of digital twin projects in cities such as Herrenberg, Rotterdam, New York, and the Connected Urban Twin (Germany). The analysis focuses on aspects such as project objectives, budgets, data architecture, and citizen participation. The findings highlight significant challenges in data standardization and interoperability across the examined projects. These factors are identified as critical for the successful implementation of digital twins in urban planning. The article advocates for further research into best practices and the associated challenges.

Both articles contribute to the understanding of participatory processes and technological developments in the context of smart cities.