Process and Results
The first step is the Smart Aarhus Think Tank. Actually, this term is somewhat mis-leading as we are not just a Think Tank but also an Action Tank. It is an attempt to do something different and to turn words into action.
To achieve this, we have organised the process in a number of workgroups that are open to everyone – both citizens, companies, organisations and associations. We only require that you are committed to the development of the city of the future.
The workgroups provide inputs to the Think Tank based on a bottom-up approach. They are divided into different themes, such as sectors, industries, geographical location, concepts, and tools.
The purpose of the workgroups is to provide specific inputs for the vision of Smart Aarhus. The workgroups focus on themes that are relevant for developing Aarhus – both economically and socially – and they identify barriers and opportunities and make recommendations. The workgroups may also come up with concrete project ideas.
The Smart Aarhus Think Tank is divided into four phases. Each phase reports to a meeting in the Think Tank’s committee where the project is evaluated on the basis of inputs from the workgroups. The committee makes decisions at the meetings and initiates the next step. The four phases are:
•Launch: “Explore the Future with Aarhus” – the Think Tank is launched on the 24th of January 2012.
•Visions: “Get Smarter with Aarhus” – the first set of desirable and realistic visions for Smart Aarhus are formulated.
•Down with the barriers: “Make it happen with Aarhus” – barriers and opportunities for Smart Aarhus projects are identified.