Lucerne North is to become a Smart City

Together with the simultaneous developments of the city of Lucerne towards a Smart City and also possible cooperations on the way to a Smart Region Lucerne, this would result in a networked approach in Central Switzerland for the first time, writes the association of municipalities LuzernPlus in a statement.

As examples of smart city projects, LuzernPlus cites sharing services for sustainable mobility, interim use projects to promote personal initiative, 3D city models for improved citizen information, energy networks based on renewable energies for a climate-friendly society, tenant apps to make everyday life easier, or curated co-working for collaborative work. The goal, he said, is to make life easier and better through accepted, technical and social innovations.

"The focus is not on technical gadgets, but on the people who live, work and study in the gradually developing LuzernNord area," says Christoph Zurflüh, area manager of LuzernNord.

Under the leadership of the LuzernNord area management of LuzernPlus, smart city approaches are to be tested in close cooperation with the canton and city of Lucerne, the municipality of Emmen, investors and companies, as well as science and with the involvement of users. According to LuzernPlus, it is convinced that the Lucerne North area around Seetalplatz is particularly suitable for Smart City, as there are an above-average number of innovative companies, investors and organizations in the area and cooperation is already working well. For example, the University of Design & Art, Viscosistadt, the interim use NF49, Wärmeverbund AG, the first energy self-sufficient house in Switzerland and the new central administration Seetalplatz are located in LuzernNord.

"In LuzernNord, the development into a smart city has long since begun. Now we want to network the existing projects, initiate cross-area activities and discuss their benefits locally," says Zurflüh. (ah)