Within the framework of the MGI project, the on-site assessment of the city is a key activity to acquire deeper and more specific knowledge about the performance of Saltillo in the selected work sectors: water, mobility and energy. This evaluation allows the elaboration of the roadmap with relevant projects that bet on the sustainable development of the city. Due to travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19, the on-site assessment format was adapted to be developed digitally.
Between September and November 2020, approximately 40 online interviews were conducted with local experts from the public, private and academic sectors. Online workshops were also organized, encouraging reflection and discussion on the information collected in the interviews. The planning and execution of the digital evaluation of Saltillo was possible thanks to the joint work of the University of Stuttgart and the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, as well as key partners in Mexico such as the Municipal Planning Institute of Saltillo (IMPLAN) and the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM).
The activities carried out during the digital evaluation made it possible to confirm hypotheses of the preliminary research stage of the project. Likewise, new and valuable knowledge was acquired about the challenges and opportunities of Saltillo in the study sectors, and fields with potential for sustainable development and possible reduction of CO2 emissions in the city were identified.
At the end of all the interviews, an inter-sectoral online workshop was held in December 2020 with the project’s team of experts in Germany and Mexico. The main objective was to review and discuss the project ideas generated in each sector and identify possible synergies and interrelationships between them. Among the next activities are the scientific assessment and development of project ideas, as well as the execution of a pilot project in Saltillo in the final stage of the MGI.
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