The ingredients for the model digital city

Digitalisation leads to exciting new opportunities, connections, skills and earning models. It is a kick-start for enterprise and employment and to achieve our goals of sustainability and circularity. At the same time, as a city, we have a duty to ensure that digitalisation leads to equal opportunities for all. Together with Vital Cities & Citizens of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), the Municipality of Rotterdam is organising the online event Digital Friday on Friday 27 November from 11.00 am to 12.30 pm.

A digital talkshow in which Vice Mayor Barbara Kathmann talks to leading professors from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the business community, high potential students and experts within the Municipality. Key question: what do we have to do to become the model digital city by 2025? What are the main areas of focus? Listen and discuss with us!

Programme

11:00 am DigiTalks

• Interview with Vice Mayor Barbara Kathmann (Economics, Districts and Small Centres) about Rotterdam as the model digital city.
• Launch of the Rotterdam Digital Platform; dozens of Rotterdam-based companies and organisations are working hard to realise the model digital city.
• Milestones for the collaboration between EUR and the Municipality: Inequality as a shared social, cultural and economic challenge.

11:35 am – 12:25 pm Round Tables
The Vice Mayor in conversation with a scientist, the business community and an expert from the Municipality. The Round Tables are interspersed with intermezzos from high potential students and inspiring examples

1. Digital citizenship – How do you make the digital city inclusive?

• Professor Liesbet van Zoonen, Erasmus School of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Director Centre for BOLD Cities, expert in the field of digital citizenship, affiliated with the Knowledge Workshop Urban Big Data.
• Teije Terhorst, policy advisor education at the municipality of Rotterdam.
• Ruth Höppner, manager and researcher at the Veldacademie.

2. Working and doing business in the digital city – How can Rotterdam entrepreneurs and workers benefit optimally from the digital economy?

• Professor Claartje ter Hoeven, Erasmus School of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Director Organisational Dynamics in the Digital Society, expert in the field of digital working and employee well-being, the Knowledge Workshop Organisations in a Smart City.
• Frank Vieveen, program manager Smart City & Digital Economy at the municipality of Rotterdam.
• Bas Janssen, CEO Deltalinqs.

3. Digital health care (socially inclusive innovation) – Is everyone getting healthier in the digital city?

• Professor Semiha Denktas, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Chief Diversity Officer.
• Carina van der Beek, Social Development Team Manager | PGW & Z B&O Health, Participation & Welfare at the Municipality of Rotterdam.
• Christiaan Uythoven, strategist at Dio Agency.

12:30 Conclusion

As far as we are concerned, this edition of Digital Friday is the first in a series of events, the start of many great conversations and collaborations in which research, education, business, the Municipality and society work together on creative and innovative solutions. A shared vision and approach, in which digitalisation will be of benefit to the social, physical and economic challenges of the city.
Under the title Rotterdam. Stronger Through, we focus on the economic and social recovery of the city, so that we can emerge from the crisis stronger than we went into it. And we’re not doing this alone, but together with the city. It’s up to the whole of Rotterdam to tackle these problems together, and that’s what we’re doing, especially now, more than ever.

We therefore sincerely hope that after 27 November you will want to remain involved and continue to contribute your ideas and actions. The EUR and the Municipality of Rotterdam would be delighted to facilitate this.

See you on 27 November!

Erasmus University Rotterdam (Vital Cities & Citizens) and Municipality of Rotterdam (Rotterdam Digital)