The mayor of Lleida, Ángel Ros, the mayor of Sant Cugat, Lluís Recoder, and the presidents of the two companies, Salvador Alemany of Abertis Telecom and Javier Monzón of Indra, signed collaboration agreements today in Barcelona with this main objective. The event was attended by the Minister of Economy and Finance of the Government of Catalonia, Antoni Castells.

These agreements fall within the framework of collaboration reached by Abertis and Indra for the development of the Smart Cities concept, which includes, among other actions, the study for the creation in Catalonia of a Reference Center in the deployment and operation of solutions, technologies and services associated with Smart Cities.

The agreements signed today include collaboration in the development of two Strategic Plans for the cities of Lleida and Sant Cugat, focusing on identifying projects and implementing strategies that can help transform these two municipalities into cities fully integrated into the concept of a smart city. 

Smart Cities represent the concept of the cities of the future, based on the intensive use of cutting-edge technologies to achieve efficient management of economic resources in the planning, management, and operation of various municipal services for citizens. The goal is to improve their quality of life, increase the efficiency of public services, enhance citizen participation, improve environmental sustainability, and expand the opportunities the city offers to individuals and businesses. Furthermore, Smart Cities imply a more proactive, flexible, and adaptable Public Administration, better equipped to respond to citizens' increasingly complex needs. 

The objective of the Strategic Plan is to transform these two cities into leaders in the implementation and use of new technologies, within a framework of efficiency and cost savings, and by improving services to citizens by addressing four main needs:
• The need for telecommunications infrastructure and the improved use and management of existing municipal networks.
• The identification of municipal projects and services that can be managed automatically and in a coordinated manner through the intensive use of ICT.
• The prioritization of projects and services based on their potential for economic efficiency; the analysis of the return on investment and operation of these technological systems with an 8- to 10-year operational outlook; and the implementation schedule.
• The focus on improving services, responsiveness, flexibility, and adaptation to citizens' needs and evolving demands.
Specifically, the development of Smart Cities in Sant Cugat and Lleida would allow for better use of municipal services, implementing projects such as efficient irrigation management in parks and gardens based on environmental conditions, remote meter reading, optimized waste collection and container fill level monitoring, street lighting management through synchronization with daylight hours, and mobility management by controlling free parking zones or limiting stays in loading and unloading areas. Furthermore, citizens and businesses, through the information generated by the development of smart infrastructure, could access government services, create new businesses, improve individual decision-making, and personalize services.

Creation of a Reference Center:
The joint action proposal from Abertis Telecom and Indra also includes the creation of a Reference Center in Catalonia in the field of 'Smart Cities' to lead the development of the necessary technological solutions that will enable the intelligent management of the services that city councils offer their citizens.
In this regard, a first concrete action is already underway: the design and implementation of a Pilot Project in the 22@ district of Barcelona. This project will evaluate the performance of applications and systems related to the smart management of the city, in addition to other more partial or sector-specific actions that will impact this area throughout the rest of Catalonia.

Regarding the Sant Cugat Innovation Plan:
The Sant Cugat City Council is currently developing an ambitious Innovation Plan to equip the city with cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructure (fiber optics, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.) and promote the use of new technologies among the population. The aim of this plan is to promote the knowledge society and prepare Sant Cugat to face the challenges of the 21st century.
The agreement to develop the "Smart City" project in Sant Cugat—signed between the City Council and the companies Abertis and Indra—is included within the municipality's Innovation Plan. Applying the "Smart" concept to municipal services will contribute to promoting the new city model being designed in Sant Cugat. This new model is based on improving efficiency, optimizing the management of services and expenses, saving energy, and improving environmental sustainability.

For the second year in a row, the Sant Cugat City Council has been considered the most transparent in Spain, according to the NGO Transparency International. It has also been recognized by the European Institute of Public Administration for its sound economic management.