First big step for the Dénia of the future: towards the smart city
This week the Dénia Smart City master plan was presented to the municipal Corporation and the media, "the roadmap to turn Dénia into a smart city," explained the Councilor for Modernization, Paco Roselló. And the first step to start working on making this objective a reality is the creation of the municipal technical office that will coordinate the implementation of the measures included in the project.
"In the 2021 budgets we have reserved an item of € 100.000 for occupancy plans, which this year will be used to hire the staff of the strategic office: two Local Development Agents (ADL) and two administrative workers." Roselló recalled that the municipalities "have very limited, by law, the possibilities of expanding the municipal staff", so this will be the formula used to staff the new office.
Among the functions of this department, "ensure that this plan has continuity and the proposed improvement actions come to fruition," said the mayor, Vicent Grimalt. "A project like this is not a matter of a legislature and one of the priorities to get started is to find the grants that can help us, present the plan and get funding."
In the spotlight, as the drafters of the plan, from the company Aalto Consultoras, have indicated, the funds from the European Next Generation recovery plan. "This project comes at the perfect time to apply."
Denia Smart City
The master plan "is the governing document, of a transversal, integrating and adaptable nature, which will serve as a guide for the city council in the transforming process towards a smart city." A general objective that has to be achieved through specific actions for the implementation of ICT resources (information and communication technologies), both in public services and in local governance processes.
Dénia Smart City is divided into four phases: a first of analysis and diagnosis, already completed, in which they have been identified, with the participation of citizens and municipal technical staff, the starting point and current needs of Dénia from the technological perspective and the smart concept; a second strategy, defining objectives based on the needs detected; the third specifies the actions that can be taken to achieve the goal; and a fourth section offers a government scheme to develop the plan.
Among the main objectives set by the plan and from which 9 lines of action are born, the following stand out, for example, as strategic: the promotion of electronic administration, the empowerment of the local economy with the support of tools and the smart o philosophy. increase the efficiency of public services with the development of technological projects.
In the more specific area of the 9 lines of action (grouped into three axes: Governance, Tourism and Sustainability), the proposals aimed at promoting intelligent traffic and mobility are prioritized, with actions such as the application of intelligent elements to the management of parking lots and regulated parking areas; the rethinking of urban transport schedules and connections, the clear visualization of information for citizens and agile and smart tools for buying tickets, etc .; smart crosswalks; and electric vehicle charging points.
In the area of sustainability, priority must be given to managing environmental resources and parks and gardens (automated irrigation systems and data collection on environmental parameters); optimization of waste collection (sensors to monitor the condition of the containers); smart lighting for energy saving.
At the commercial level, one of the actions that are already underway is pointed out: the creation of a marketplace, a digital sales platform that brings together different establishments in the city, for which the city council has already received a grant of € 36.600 from the ERDF Funds.
And in an essential section such as tourism, the Dénia Smart City master plan converges with the Smart Tourist Destination Plan, currently in the drafting phase.