Demographic expansion, an ageing population, digital transformation, soft and shared mobility, decentralized energy systems, the effects of climate change… The city of the 21st century faces a host of challenges. It’s against this backdrop that the notion of the “smart city” has emerged.
To support this urban transition, the AFNOR group is developing a number of standards in conjunction with the players concerned, led by local authorities, and offers concrete solutions for the cities of tomorrow: standardization, training and certification.
Sustainable cities at the heart of the ecological transition
Guaranteeing the economic performance of its territory while ensuring the preservation of the environment: this is the spirit that drives the professional members of the
AFNOR standardization committees
and
ISO
. Their aim: to clarify vocabulary, provide guidelines for building a management system for sustainable cities, and list best practices, requirements and techniques for sustainable development that respect intelligent planning and resilience. Among the international voluntary standards published on the subject:
NF ISO 37101
,
NF ISO 37104
,
NF ISO 37122
. The sustainable city is also one of the themes
of the new French standardization strategy
and is on the agenda of Franco-Chinese exchanges on standardization (AFNOR-SAC).
The town of Vélizy-Villacoublay (Yvelines) has carried out a full-scale experiment at Inovel Parc. This business district is home to over 1,000 companies and accounts for 5% of French research. Working with AFNOR, the municipality and several companies have collectively drawn up a sustainable development standard for these specific neighborhoods. Objectives: improve biodiversity and reduce energy consumption. For example, a 3D model is used to identify the energy consumption of each building, so that it can be optimized and used for future constructions. A method rich in advantages. The companies work together as a team and are forging international links: the experimentation is being followed very closely, particularly in China, with new business opportunities in store for the players involved.
A number of tools are already available to elected representatives and general managers who are thinking in terms of sustainable cities: thematic training with AFNOR CompétencesWe have also developed an environmental and energy management system aimed at continuous improvement, and may be awarded AFAQ ISO 14001 or AFAQ ISO 50001 certification. The smart city of tomorrow is being built today!
