Testimonies

Filis Zumbultas: "In my opinion, this handbook presents and explores all the key ingredients for becoming a Smart City. It contains really practical advice and also highlights key points that need to be improved within the city. It's really a guide in the strict sense of the word, it guides us through the process, so it's a real document for reflection and introspection at the city level".

Benoit Muller: "The handbook is obviously relevant for us at Idelux, because it corresponds completely to the type of support mission we carry out for the municipalities of the Province of Luxembourg (one of the missions of IDELUX Public Projects is to support the Luxembourg municipalities in their Smart City transition). It is useful to us in terms of theory, recontextualisation and methodology. "

Thomas Charlier: "As a member of the City's strategic unit, I was asked by our mayor to implement a Smart strategy. After doing some research on the subject, this handbook is the only document I have ever found that takes up all the dimensions of the Smart City we know today. This handbook takes stock of all the existing information on this concept as well as on how to implement it concretely. This book therefore meets my expectations in order to be able to tackle this type of project. It provides a step-by-step method for building a strategy!"

Filis Zumbultas: "What is interesting is that this handbook is also a source of inspiration for other colleagues, who are perhaps less familiar with the concept of Smart City and its issues. By reading it, they can project themselves into concrete situations, especially through the examples of other cities".

Benoit Muller: "Even if the handbook offers examples based on cities that do not always correspond to our reality in the Province of Luxembourg (smaller number of inhabitants), I was nevertheless able to easily reappropriate the handbook's method and its fundamental principles, while adapting them to rural realities".

Thomas Charlier: "At the end of the handbook is a checklist that summarises all the key points of a Smart City strategy. Based on it, I was able to concretely measure the state of progress of our City. Once we know where we stand, it's easier to move forward because we have a perspective.”

Filis Zumbultas: "The advantage of this handbook is that it is well structured. First of all, it contextualises the concept of Smart City, it explains what is at stake and its importance today. Then, it describes the key steps - from prerequisites to project implementation - to set up a Smart City approach. Finally, it shows that each step is important to achieve this, whereas sometimes local authorities may be over-emphasising one step over another. In my opinion, it is also a good tool to raise awareness, especially when you talk to colleagues, to go even further and show that this approach should not be taken lightly".

Benoit Muller: "For me, this handbook is a visual and methodological synthesis that is pleasant to read. It is also an essential theoretical tool: it is in a way my little bible or my daily guiding thread when I analyse Smart projects for the municipalities I accompany".

Thomas Charlier: "What absolutely seduced me about this handbook is its clear methodology and the checklist that allows us to situate ourselves in our project! In the end, it's almost like a treasure hunt to be followed. The Smart City concept evolves so quickly, sometimes you are convinced that a decision is the right one, then, in the end, you realise that you were wrong. Thanks to the handbook, you don't lose sight of the horizon to be reached, you keep the KPIs in mind and at the same time, you know what to do next.”