Hart van Zuid and Smart Cities: an innovative combination

7/3/2019
Reading time 1 min.
Development
Innovation
Sustainability

Rotterdam is one of the 6 cities participating in the Smart City EU project RUGGEDISED, a project for innovative sustainability. In collaboration with companies and research centres, the six cities will show how they can combine ICT, e-mobility and energy solutions to create smart, resilient cities for everyone. This means improving the quality of life of citizens, reducing the environmental impact of activities and creating a stimulating environment for sustainable economic development.

Overall plan

Together with the municipality of Rotterdam, RET, KPN, Eneco, Future Insight, TNO and EUR, Ballast Nedam applied for the European subsidy for the Rotterdam implementation of this project. The subsidy is used within Hart van Zuid. The municipality of Rotterdam is the initiator of the project. Various municipal departments and the companies involved work together to achieve the objectives. RUGGEDISED is working on 13 "smart solutions" that will be rolled out in the Hart van Zuid area.

Promising results

The project kicked off two years ago: the first physical results are now visible. For example, the swimming pool and Kunstenpand have been built as nearly energy-neutral buildings. Under the guidance of Eneco, a heat-cold network is being installed between Ahoy and the Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre (RACC), to which various buildings in Hart van Zuid can be connected. Solar panels will be installed, among other things, on the existing hall 1 and the offices of Ahoy, the new RACC building and the new building for the Kunstenpand. In addition, Hart van Zuid is working on sustainable buildings by installing all kinds of smart solutions in buildings and infrastructure, and the RET now uses around 55 electric buses in Rotterdam (South). The sensors that indicate that underground containers must be emptied are also part of the RUGGEDISED project.