SymbioCity - The SymbioCity concept

The SymbioCity concept Combine and benefit

The SymbioCity concept saves your environment and money at the same time. The secret: Combine your urban systems and benefit from the synergies. Read about the SymbioCity concept, how it has been put into practice in Sweden, and how you can make the journey to implementation short and comfortable with the help of our consultants, contractors and suppliers.

Our concept

Our concept

Turning waste into energy or biogas is a typical SymbioCity way of making urban functions both sustainable and profitable. Read more
Scalable solutions

Scalable solutions

An automatic waste disposal system for a city – or a biodegradable waste bag carried by bicycle. You can go big or small. Read more
Scalable solutions

The Swedish experience

50 years of sustainable urban development have led to improved economy, environment and general well-being. Read more

Liveable SymbioCity

Economy, environment and improved well-being? Yes! The SymbioCity approach is centered around our needs as individuals and families. Symbiosis means the integration of two or more organisms in a mutually beneficial union. This also describes the idea of SymbioCity. Looking at the city as a whole, we find benefits through synergies in urban functions – turning waste into energy instead of landfills, for one. In Sweden this is the way we have been saving our natural resources and money for over fifty years. It is our way to a prosperous, secure and comfortable future for all citizens. In our experience the SymbioCity approach is applicable to other countries, no matter the circumstances.

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A novel idea from Sweden. How do you convince people to make positive behavioural choices? Make it fun. After turning a staircase into a piano, 66% more people used it than before, leaving the adjacent escalator almost redundant.

In a similar vein, getting the elderly to exercise through use of pensioners’ playgrounds is a fantastic idea that is having brilliant results across Europe.

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Greenlight for Stockholm

Of course we all know about the success of the introduction of congestion charging in Stockholm, but there is a lot more to Stockholm and it’s fascinating to look in more detail at the many initiatives Stockholm has for making this city even greener and more liveable, covering transport, water, energy, waste and other key city systems. Stockholm being nominated ‘The European Green Capital 2010’ is just one step on the way - there is a broad and ambitious vision in place for 2030, and by 2050 Stockholm wants to be carbon-free.

Susanne Dirks, IBM Institute of Business Value

Economic Development Centre, Dublin, Ireland

Twitter: @susannedirks

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iCarpool wins the $50,000 Intelligent Transportation Traffic Challenge

iCarpoolThe results are in and a winner has been announced in the $50,000 Intelligent Transportation Traffic Challenge.

Earlier this summer, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), in partnership with IBM and Spencer Trask Collaborative Innovations, launched a global challenge to identify innovative ideas for combating transportation congestion, and to find and fund a solution or start-up that can reduce environmental impact, strengthen economic productivity, move people more efficiently or prevent accidents.

The competition attracted 120 start-ups and solutions from 20 countries, and this was whittled down to nine finalists.

The winner, announced during an IBM session at the 16th ITS World Congress in Stockholm, was iCarpool (www.icarpoool.com). iCarpool received a cash prize of $50,000 as well as development and implementation support to pursue turning their innovative ideas into real-world solutions.

Millions of people drive alone for commute, long distance trips or personal trips such as a shopping trip or an event. iCarpool’s idea is an internet-based service that offers one site for carpooling, which can result in substantial monetary savings by sharing fuel, toll and parking costs. It says it is building infrastructure which provides one multi-modal view with the best options other than driving alone. Unlike a rideshare bulletin board, carpool listing service or zip code matching service, iCarpool uses high precision trip matching to find the best carpool match.

Check it out at www.icarpoool.com

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