Citython Lublin Seeks Tech Solutions To Accelerate Innovation in European cities

From 22 to 28 October, Lublin (Poland) will host the fourth and final online edition of Citython 2021, the annual hackathon that brings together young urban planners, sociologists, engineers, data scientists, and business creators matched up in teams challenged to find out innovative solutions to the mobility of the future. The upcoming event will pay attention to increase access to Lublin’s green areas and create a green corridor in the city-oriented towards sustainable urban mobility.

After three successful editions, Citython 2021 will come to an end in Lublin, where multidisciplinary teams of students and professionals of different backgrounds and expertise from all around Europe and beyond will compete against each other over a four-day hackathon with the goal of coming up with the best solutions for the immediate and long-term urban mobility challenges faced by the city.

Organized by CARNET (coordinated by CIT UPC) in collaboration with the City of Lublin, the event is funded by EIT Urban Mobility, an innovation community to create more liveable urban spaces supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Traian Urban, Director of Innovation at Hub East EIT Urban Mobility, says: “European cities and citizens are facing many challenges, and in the near future we will have to reinvent how to move in our cities. Technology and innovation will help us find new ways. And of course, public administration will need to cooperate closely with the private and academic sector in order to find suitable solutions.”

Citython Lublin will run on an online context in order to address the pandemic situation and assure all safety measures, while at the same time offering the possibility to more European professionals to participate in the event, and with the teams working together to develop their projects in a virtual space.

Dr. Jan Kaminski, Assistant at Department of Landscape Planning and Design, KUL, explains: “Lublin has been credited as the city most actively striving towards becoming green. In recent years we have realised many initiatives aimed at developing the city as a pedestrian-friendly space, increasing the role of bicycles, and improving the number of green spaces for city dwellers.”

Towards a greener city

The kick-off event of Citython Lublin 2021 will take place on 14 October in a public ceremony. The welcoming remarks will be followed by the announcement of three urban mobility challenges faced by Lublin, with the help of recognized experts such as Traian Urban, Dr. Jan Kaminski, and Elisa Sayrol, Associate Professor at UPC, and Academic Director for EIT Urban Mobility.

Participants in this edition will be faced with these challenges:

• Increase access to green areas in Lublin by creating a recreational and natural network, the Green Connection, in order to improve air quality and more equitable access to green open spaces for all.
• Design a Green Ring Road, a green, bicycle, and pedestrian corridor in the city connected with the existing infrastructures, which could be used for walks and sports and commuting between districts.
• A third urban challenge will be revealed to be solved, to be announced during the webinar presentation.

The registration deadline is on 20 October at 18:00 CET and participants will have until 27 October to work on their ideas and submit their final proposals before a panel of judges integrated by members from EIT Urban Mobility, public institutions, and experts on 28 October. On 22 and 26 October, all teams will be able to attend mentoring sessions to get feedback on their work. The ultimate winners for each challenge will be awarded monetary prizes of 1,500 € in total plus the opportunity to showcase their solutions during the Smart City Expo World Congress, to be held in Barcelona from 16-18 November.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/165115072627