URBIS 2025 IS BEHIND US

We have prepared several thematic discussion blocks reflecting current challenges and opportunities for the development of towns and villages. We looked at specific ways in which a municipality can actively promote quality of life across generations - using technology, participation, and smart planning.

In the panel Smart Technologies for Self-Sufficient Living: Inspiration for Municipalities, moderated by our specialist Eva Nečasová, providers of assistive technologies and social services presented innovative examples of smart living and digital support. They showed how technology can complement or replace unavailable services and how volunteering can be actively involved in supporting active aging. The panel demonstrated that the right and accessible technologies have a real impact on quality of life.

The Housing Well & Not Aging Badly! Block addressed the challenges of housing and care in the context of an aging population. We discussed the deteriorating availability of quality housing and introduced community-based accessible housing as an affordable alternative to traditional care facilities. The solution may be rapid modular construction that promotes self-sufficiency for seniors and community living.

In the panel Children and Youth as Drivers of Public Space, our specialist Dagmar Peřinová opened a discussion on the role of the young generation in shaping public space. Together with the panelists, we looked for ways in which cities and municipalities can actively cooperate with young people and build a relationship with the place where they live, and we also presented the new concept of the Ministry of Education and Science for working with youth.

During the fair, we also prepared the URBIS Challenge Hackateen for representatives of pupil and student parliaments from all over the Czech Republic. 21 teams were looking for innovative solutions for a better life in their cities and municipalities.  More than 100 participants worked intensively for 24 hours under the guidance of experienced mentors to solve real challenges in five key areas. The best teams presented their ideas directly at the URBIS fair, where they met the expert jury and the public.

During the session Smart Skills for Smart Cities: New Approaches to Teaching, practice, and Collaboration, our director Patrik Reichl introduced the concept of innovation brokerage at JINAG. It is a practical support for municipalities in finding and implementing innovations. He stressed the importance of the international CESMOD project, which focuses on developing smart skills for sustainable cities.

Jan Bárta, a specialist in energy, also spoke in the block System support of consulting for building renovation and energy, who presented how we help municipalities with the preparation and implementation of renovations.

At our stand, visitors could consult specific project plans in various areas of smart cities throughout the fair. Strategies in the fields of building renovation and energy management, landscape adaptation to climate change, and support for federal activities in the regions. Representatives of municipalities, organizations, and companies learned how to plan and finance sustainable measures, how to effectively engage local communities, and how to use available grant instruments and partnerships to develop smart, resilient, and active regions. Then, at the HOME IS HOME booth, they were able to experience first-hand assistive technologies for safe and self-sufficient living at home.

URBIS The Smart Cities Meetup 2025, which took place in June at the Brno Exhibition Centre, is the leading Central European platform for presenting and sharing smart solutions for cities and municipalities. The fair connects public administration, companies, startups, academia, and citizens and offers inspiration, practical technology demonstrations, and a space for discussion about the future of cities. 

Visitors could find innovations in areas such as sustainable mobility, digitalization of services, energy, participation, or the use of artificial intelligence in public space. 

We are glad to have been part of it and look forward to the next edition.