NEWS

Young people design the Smart City of the future
European Erasmus+ Project | Lower and upper secondary schools
Partner countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland
Coordinating institution: University of Siegen, Germany

Young Smart Cities is a European project involving students aged 12 to 18 in an educational pathway dedicated to Smart Cities and the challenges of urban sustainability.

Through innovative methodologies such as Problem-Based and Skills-Based Learning, students analyse real issues in their own city — mobility, environment, energy, safety, urban spaces, participation — and develop concrete proposals for sustainable, smart and inclusive cities.

The classroom experience

The participation of our three lower secondary school classes in the Young Smart Cities project was highly engaging and exciting for the students.

First of all, the students felt empowered by the idea of being connected with young people from other schools across Europe. Secondly, the opportunity to choose the topic they wanted to explore in greater depth was motivating for them. In addition, the project’s approach, based on problem solving and skills building, was a pleasant discovery. Being able to look for solutions to a question by using ideas and tools they had created themselves, such as questionnaires; involving other students and adults as interviewees; and analysing the data collected in order to formulate a shared solution hypothesis created a spiral of interest and engagement that is rarely seen in other contexts.

Given the importance of the project, we as teachers decided to make it the central topic of our civic education lessons for the school year.

The material, easily accessible through the dedicated platform, is rich, diversified and comprehensive. In addition to video support materials for both teachers and students on the main soft skills involved in the work phases and on the explanation of the method used, the platform also offers Knowledge Pills and problems to solve on a wide range of topics related to Smart Cities, suitable for students of all ages. A clear lesson plan provides ideal support to guide teachers and their students step by step through the implementation of the project, which concludes with the development of a final output.

Chiara Barbari
Istituto San Giuseppe
Florence

For interested schools – Young Smart Cities

Schools are warmly invited to take part in the Young Smart Cities pilot phase, which is currently open and active until the end of November 2026. Participation is free of charge and provides access to the European educational platform, ready-to-use teaching materials, structured classroom pathways, and the opportunity to share a final output and feedback.

As a first introduction to the project, teachers can involve their classes in the Knowledge Pills Game, an interactive activity that allows students to explore key urban themes, develop transversal skills and propose ideas to address real challenges linked to the city of the future. The game can be used in class or as a home activity and is designed to be flexible and easily integrated into different teaching contexts.

Teaser for teachers and classes:
https://youngsmartcities.com/engage/knowledge-pills-game/

Project website:
www.ysc-eu.net

Educational platform:
https://youngsmartcities.com/

Contact:
Pia Lovengreen Alessi
Project Manager - WAME @ FAEM
pia.alessi@eui.eu

Luciana Stortoni
Project Manager – University of Siegen
stortoni.tvd@uni-siegen.de