Smart Urban Transformation – Between Technology, Innovation, and the Change of Mindset Among City Leaders

One of the most captivating moments of the first day of the “SMART Technologies for Innovation” Summit was the panel “Smart Urban Transformation,” moderated by Ion Bodrug, President of ACETI and Coordinator of the Digital Innovation Hub of Moldova (DIH of Moldova). The discussions emphasized that developing smart cities is not only about technological innovation but also about an intellectual and mindset transformation among urban leaders and local communities.

Artificial intelligence expert Veaceslav Cunev opened the panel with a visionary presentation on the transition to the “mixed intelligence” era – human + AI – where the ability to collaborate with artificial intelligence becomes a key competence. With over 30 years of experience in IT, Cunev highlighted that the future will belong to those who know how to build human–AI teams and use technology as a tool for innovation rather than a substitute for human thinking.

Raluca Gîrbacea, President of the Cluster for Innovation and Technology in Brașov, Romania, presented the SCIHubs – Smart City Innovation Hubs project, a regional initiative dedicated to the sustainable transformation of cities in the Danube Region through smart solutions and transnational collaboration. The project is implemented together with ACETI and other partners from Brașov and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). She emphasized how SCIHubs and SPARK contribute to creating efficient, adaptive, and green urban networks, aligned with the European Green Deal.

Representatives of the civic tech platform Decid.md, Gabriel Goncear and Cătălin Vacarciuc, showcased an example of digital civic innovation, demonstrating how technology can become a tool for transparency and citizen engagement. The platform facilitates dialogue between citizens and local authorities, offering a clear mechanism for prioritizing community issues – an important step toward participatory and open governance.

Next, Vitalie Coceban, CEO of InfoEra, highlighted strategic directions for digitalizing public administration in Bălți Municipality, presenting solutions such as e-Superficie, e-Public Consultations, e-GisGate, and other tools transforming how the administration manages urban data and interacts with citizens. He emphasized that “technology is a means, not an end in itself,” and that the success of digitalization depends on interoperability and human capacity building.

Victor Domenti, founder of iDomus, presented “Made in Moldova” IoT-based solutions for energy efficiency, smart public lighting, waste management, and environmental monitoring. The company is developing an Industrial Innovation Center – IIoT Pro Center, in partnership with local authorities and ACETI, contributing to the creation of a Smart City & Smart Village model.

Magda Bei, manager of Graphtec Design and expert with the Romanian Association of Public Administrators, demonstrated how smart urban design and innovative public furniture can redefine public spaces, turning them into functional, aesthetic, and sustainable areas.

The panel concluded with Marius Huminiuc, International Sales Director of Urbio Romania, who spoke about the importance of cross-border partnerships between Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine in the fields of digitalization, smart energy, and modern urban governance.

The discussions confirmed that smart urban transformation requires an integrated vision – technological, social, and intellectual. The cities of the future will be those that combine innovation with civic engagement, sustainability with energy efficiency, and whose leaders think strategically beyond infrastructure, toward creating intelligent and resilient communities.

The “Smart Urban Transformation” panel was part of the “SMART Technologies for Innovation” Summit, held in Bălți by the Association for the Development of Electronic Communications and Innovative Technologies (ACETI), in partnership with the Municipality of Bălți, the Employers’ Association of Renewable Energy Producers “ECOEnergetica,” and the Association for Regional Development and European Policies (ADRPE).

The event took place within the framework of the ACETI 4 EDIE project, implemented with the support of the Innovate Moldova Program, funded by Sweden.