Europeana for Smart Cities - a visual report

In this summer of our discontent¹ we finally release work done under the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU on the role of Cultural Heritage in Smart Cities. Whilst late for other reasons, it feels appropriate to be publishing this summary now given the issues Europe is facing on identity and community, particularly in its major cities.

Europeana for Smart Cities - JAM Visual Thinking - CC-BY-SA

“Culture connects Europe” has long been a mantra of the European Union in relation to Europeana. This work, from our national policy makers from culture, tourism and city planning, links the importance of each person’s identity, to their community and its culture and starts to promote the idea of cultural heritage as a pillar of the Smart City, that to date have concerned themselves more with government, infrastructure and health.

In ten clicks this JAMdots presentation gives you an impression of their initial thinking as the base for some Recommendations on the use of Digital Cultural Heritage in the Smart City. It shows how the provision of more digital material from our museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections, made interoperable by Europeana, can release creativity and allow both citizens and new stakeholders to create new interactions with their city and perhaps lead to better social cohesion as well as ways to develop tourism and underpin education.

¹Corruption of William Shakespeare's Richard III: "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun [or son] of York".