About #WolfsburgDigital

On the road to Smart City Wolfsburg
The megatrend of digitalisation is both an opportunity and a challenge for life, work, industry
and society. In Wolfsburg, the City and Volkswagen AG have been working hand-in-hand
since 2016 to shape this process of change for the location. The aim of the joint initiative
#WolfsburgDigital is to develop the city into a digital model city. Citizens and guests should
be able to find out what „digitalisation“ means based on the introduction of new goods and
services. Companies and the field of science and research are also actively involved in the
initiative, which in turn provides them with a suitable environment for their own digital
development and projects. Future-driven traineeships and jobs will attract skilled workers and
secure the competitiveness of the city as business location.

Memorandum
of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding for this large-scale initiative was signed on 5th December 2016 in Wolfsburg Castle. Volkswagen and the City of Wolfsburg launched a joint initiative to develop the digitalised metropolis.

The Volkswagen Group and the City of Wolfsburg have agreed to develop Wolfsburg into a model city of digitalisation. The aim is to harness the opportunities offered by digitalisation and to further enhance the attractiveness of Wolfsburg as a business location and a place to live in the years to come. To do so, the digital infrastructure is to be fully expanded, new and user-oriented digital services, along with forward-looking IT workplaces are to be created and new mobility concepts implemented.

The initiators

City of Wolfsburg
The autonomous administrative district of Wolfsburg is one of the five largest cities in Lower Saxony. More than 125,000 inhabitants live on an area of 204 square kilometres. Wolfsburg was founded in 1938 in connection with the establishment of the Volkswagen factory, which also has its headquarters there. At an impressive speed, Wolfsburg has transformed itself from a workers’ city into an exciting location for services and research and a recreational location full of leisure activities and experiences, making it one of the most dynamic cities in Germany. Preparing Wolfsburg for the digital future is one of the key aims of urban development. Ever since the City Council’s decision of February 2017, the #WolfsburgDigital Memorandum of Understanding has been a guideline for the city’s digital strategy.

Volkswagen AG
The Volkswagen brand is present in over 150 markets worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in more than 50 locations in 14 countries. There are currently 200,000 people employed by the Volkswagen Group’s core brand. The company has always been a pioneer in the further development of automotive engineering. Electromobility, digital transformation and smart mobility are the strategic core topics of the future. At its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Volkswagen is supporting the #WolfsburgDigital initiative by expanding digital services and opening up new business fields for cutting-edge mobility. Volkswagen’s IT City in particular stands for future-oriented, agile working methods.

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WLAN Hotspots
freeWolfsburg at Porschestraße
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km route
are laid for the glass fibre extension
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Topics
for the digital model city

Milestone projects

The city and Volkswagen are working on digital urban development with partners in various fields that reflect the diversity of digitalisation in Wolfsburg.
Here are some examples from the fields of infrastructure, urban development, mobility and education.

Intelligent traffic lights

The City of Wolfsburg, Volkswagen, Wolfsburg AG and Siemens entered into an alliance to further improve road safety, especially at and around junctions and intersections. New functionalities will be added to the local exchange of information between vehicles and digital transport infrastructure. The overall system is based on the Car2x technology WLANp (ITS-G5) and is now being tested in Wolfsburg city traffic. Ten traffic lights on Heinrich-Nordhoff-Street between Wolfsburg Central Station and the Technoforum have already been equipped with the technology. They send data on the traffic light phases, so that properly-equipped cars can inform the driver about "green waves" where green lights are coordinated and synchronised, avoiding unnecessary braking and acceleration and optimising the flow of traffic. At two junctions in Wolfsburg, sensors also detect pedestrians and cyclists, so that the test project ensures greater road safety.

Master plan for Nordhoff axis

Urban planning and mobility concept With the current changes taking place in the field of mobility, work and life concepts, the demands on urban spaces are also changing. The aim of the master plan for the largest inner-city area with potential for development along Heinrich-Nordhoff-Street is to take a holistic approach to these topics of new mobility through the development and functional distribution of new areas for living, working, leisure and commerce. This approach is the only way to successfully contribute to the significance of this space, which is viewed by both the city and Volkswagen as an essential prospect for the future of the City of Wolfsburg, and to ensure that it is fully equipped for the future.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)


Since 2017, the pilot project, "Learning and Teaching with Mobile Digital Devices” (Bring Your Own Device) has been progressing within the scope of #WolfsburgDigital, for which the infrastructural requirements – initially in six local pilot schools – are being created and the schools are being mentored in the process of conceptual integration of media use in the curriculum with the help of outside expertise. This also includes the implementation of a learning platform.

Our partners

Contact

For further information, please contact the
program-management-office of the initiative

pmo@wolfsburgdigital.org