The U.S.-Hungary Smart Cities Forum, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary and the Embassy of the United States of America, focused on local government needs, financing and planning resources, and technology solutions for implementing Smart City initiatives and was held in Budapest on September 24, 2018.
More than 100 interested attendees – a mix of municipality leaders, subject matter experts, city planners, urban development officials, utilities, and civil organizations – were able to meet, learn more about, and discuss this important topic, providing the opportunity to walk away thinking about how they too can plan similar programs in their cities and counties.
Representatives from the United States, including from the Department of Commerce, City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and City of Charlotte, North Carolina, presented the U.S. national and municipal perspectives, as well as introduced the Global City Team Challenge platform. Private sector representatives, leaders from Hungarian municipalities, and local think tank experts also joined panel sessions highlighting relevant case studies and discussed U.S. technology solutions across mobility, building operations, and a connected citizenry.
The record turnout at both the conference and the subsequent networking event hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission David Kostelancik is a testament of interest in smart city-related cooperation with the U.S. in Hungary. We hope these new and valuable partnerships will help transform our cities into more sustainable and well-connected places to live.
