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The Hague winner of the World Smart City Award 2021

LivingLab Scheveningen is the winner of the international World Smart City Award. This prize is awarded every year to cities that make the world more liveable and sustainable. The Hague was in the finals together with New York and Konya (Turkey) in the energy and environment category. Alderman Saskia Bruines: "What a wonderful score and recognition for LivingLab Scheveningen. This award emphasises the innovative way in which The Hague is working towards a safe, sustainable and liveable city. We show that The Hague is an international leader when it comes to digital renewal with the help of new technology.

LivingLab Scheveningen

The Smart City approach of the Municipality of The Hague is reflected in the LivingLab Scheveningen. Since 2020, the new boulevard, from Zwarte Pad to the Pier, has been a special learning area for the city of the future. Here, the municipality tests smart, digital inventions that solve social problems. Argaleo 's digital twin solution is a good example. There are also experiments with self-driving waste robots and the construction of a local smart network for clean energy. Alderman Mulder: "It's great that we're getting recognition for the trial with pressure cameras on the Noordboulevard in Scheveningen, for example. In a privacy-friendly manner, special cameras detect group formation, in order to measure the crowds and prevent nuisance."

Another example is the digital board that informs visitors whether the sea water is safe to swim in. The LivingLab makes use of a new digital infrastructure that has been installed on the boulevard. This includes smart lampposts and underground fibre-optic connections. In the coming years, the lab will be extended to the rest of the boulevard, up to and including the Havenhoofd.

World Smart City Award

The World Smart City Award was presented during the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, which is attended by some 700 cities from countries all over the world. The Hague is well known internationally as a 'smart city'. In the global Smart City ranking of educational institute IMD, The Hague comes in at 23rd place this year, just below London.