Can Hajnówka be smart?
Smart City is associated with modern technologies. Meanwhile, Smart City is, above all, modern and consciously managed. It is a city where the needs of its residents are taken into account. This is finally a place where people have a voice and use it, where they are asked for their opinion. Sounds like an ideal. We want to strive for it and create a Smart City Program for Hajnówka.
We are in the process of developing such a document. For this purpose, we received funding under POPT, i.e. an additional pool of funds for cities-winners of the Local Development program. Recently, two-day workshops were held for representatives of the city hall as well as willing residents, entrepreneurs and representatives of organizations.
The aim of the workshop was to present the idea of a smart city in the field of integrated city development, increasing public participation, using data about the city and its inhabitants to make key decisions for them, developing public e-services and mobile applications facilitating efficient management of data and information for residents.
The next stage is ahead of us, i.e. research. We encourage all residents to take part in the survey. It is anonymous and its results are needed to develop the Smart City program for Hajnówka. The questions include: participation in the creation of a participatory budget, experience in dealing with matters in the office or access to the so-called open data. This includes, for example, information about investments, finances and activities of the city hall.
The Smart City idea is another challenge, befitting an ambitious city that is serious about development. How to translate this idea into the realities of Hajnówka, where the rhythm of life is much slower, where cultures intertwine, where the local dialect accompanies conversations on the street, where oak trees create the atmosphere, and the forest is right next to it? A smart city uses the potential of its inhabitants, provides data necessary for development, provides multilateral communication and solutions responding to the technological needs of modernity. Residents should have access to the office on their mobile phones.
It is important to centralize the costs of current maintenance not only of the office, but also of all subordinate units, and better communication from the station to the city. These are examples of smart challenges that we discussed at the meeting. We encourage you to get involved in further work on the smart idea for Hajnówka and fill out the survey. This can be done electronically or traditionally at the city hall, for about two weeks.