Eindhoven is internationally recognised as a smart city that focuses on social innovation and collaboration between government bodies, businesses, and citizens. The Dutch city is one of the best global cities for start-ups according to Fortune. In addition, Eindhoven was elected as the "Smartest Region in the world" by the Intelligent Community Forum, and was named by Forbes as one of the most inventive cities in the world with 22.6 patents for every 10,000 citizens.
Currently, Eindhoven is aiming to create a 'smart society', where citizens are key to addressing and solving problems with the support of technology and design. This vision is embodied by the Smart Society Programme that the city council adopted and which has five programme lines: data, infrastructure, living labs, community and ecosystem, and community.
The Smart Society Programme will focus on three different challenges:
- Mobility - Citizens will be encouraged to travel by foot, bicycle and public transport within Eindhoven, the city centre will be vehicle-restricted, and cars will be diverted to the ring road and outskirts of the city.
- Sustainability and climate - Eindhoven will deliver on sustainable energy, mobility, and energy saving schemes by linking sustainability to economic activity and employment within the city, and by reinforcing the policy of making Eindhoven greener and stimulating biodiversity.
- Safety - The city will reduce the crime rate and increase the feeling of safety and security by concentrating on crime prevention and combatting public incidents and disturbances.
