Page 16 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

As a result, the region has developed many strong, global businesses that produce several goods and
services and utilize a readily available, skilled workforce. This has resulted in Ålesund being one of the
most productive and value-generating areas of Norway. It includes the most important fishing harbour
in the country with a modern fishing fleet, in addition to a large furniture industry that manufactures
well-known brands and household items. Previously home to the shipbuilding industry itself, the region
still maintains close economic ties to its neighbouring shipyard communities. Furthermore, the region is
easily accessible by air, sea or land, with good connections to centres such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim,
Stavanger, Sogndal, Florø, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Gdansk and Alicante.

Given these characteristics, and Ålesund’s public commitment to its technological and smart sustainable
city (SSC) initiatives, the region is ideal for the implementation of the U4SSC KPIs on Smart Sustainable
Cities. The vital knowledge gained through Ålesund’s experience will continue to be an important part
of ongoing efforts to make not only the KPIs, but also U4SSC’s upcoming Smart Sustainable Cities
Index, the most effective methods to measure progress and provide guidance to cities on their journey
towards becoming smarter and more sustainable.

The first year of Ålesund's participation in the KPIs project has concluded successfully as part of an
ITU project and with the active support of Organization for International Economic Relations (OiER).

10 U4SSC Factsheet | Ålesund, Norway | June 2020