Smart Quarter in Munich North: powered by Hawa Dawa

Munich’s north is becoming a “smart quarter”.

The EU initiative “Civitas Eccentric” is upgrading the Domagkpark and Parkstadt Schwabing neighbourhoods into environmentally sustainable districts. The project is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative, which uses integrated mobility concepts to reduce traffic and alleviate the parking situation. In addition to Munich, the cities of Stockholm, Madrid, Turku and Ruse are also among the project cities Residents are informed about the current air quality in the neighbourhood via the “Luftlotse” app and can make informed decisions about which mobility option to use – depending on the current environmental impact. There is a choice of public transport, car sharing services, the neighbourhood’s e-car fleet and, of course, the bicycle – manually or electrically assisted. The app is based on data collected by the Munich-based company Hawa Dawa through compact environmental sensors distributed throughout the neighbourhood.

The aim of the project is to find out to what extent knowledge about current air quality influences citizens’ mobility decisions. This pilot project is to be transferred to other new neighbourhoods. The EU project is being carried out by Green City e.V. in Munich in cooperation with Hawa Dawa. A number of interested citizens and local businesses have agreed to act as “sensor hosts” and install the Hawa Dawa measuring stations on balconies and office buildings. Installation has already started and will be completed in the next few months.

“Civitas Eccentric is a true beacon project towards a civil society that takes responsibility and commitment for better, smarter mobility management,” says Karim Tarraf, CEO of Hawa Dawa. “The findings from the combination of citizen participation, digitalisation and new mobility concepts have the potential to make waves beyond Munich. We are proud to make an important contribution to this ambitious project.”