The Hague's Smart City Successes: A Five-Year Journey
The Hague, Thursday, 15 May 2025.
The Hague showcases noteworthy achievements in smart city technologies, including real-time crowd management and automatic ship registration, revolutionizing urban planning and sustainability.
Infrastructure and Connectivity
At the heart of The Hague’s smart city transformation lies an extensive fiber optic network that serves as the backbone for various urban innovations. This sophisticated infrastructure connects multiple street facilities, including lampposts, kiosks, and charging stations, enabling both above-ground and underground objects to be equipped with sensors, cameras, and network equipment [1].
Real-Time Crowd Management Success
A standout achievement in The Hague’s smart city arsenal is the Crowd Safety Manager (CSM), which has proven highly effective in managing urban crowds. The system provides detailed 3D maps utilizing data from multiple sources, including traffic registrations, parking systems, public transportation, and anonymized visitor information. This technology demonstrated its practical value during the Invictus Games, enabling municipal authorities to proactively manage crowd flow and optimize parking facility usage [1].
Maritime Innovation
In Scheveningen harbor, the implementation of an automated ship registration system marks another successful innovation. This technology efficiently detects and logs vessel movements while maintaining privacy standards, contributing to enhanced maritime safety [1].
Learning from Challenges
The city’s approach to smart technology implementation has been pragmatic, with officials willing to discontinue projects that prove ineffective or unnecessary. For instance, a pilot project for riot recognition was terminated due to technical limitations, while an AI-powered camera system for detecting nitrous oxide use was discontinued when the targeted behavior ceased to be a significant concern on the boulevard [1]. This adaptive approach demonstrates The Hague’s commitment to practical, needs-based smart city solutions rather than technology for technology’s sake.