Development strategy of sustainable urban environment in Jelgava

Taking into account that Jelgava is one of the largest cities in Latvia, the city’s urban environment must show an example that it is possible to develop sustainably. As the city adopts the concept of smart city development, its urban systems should operate in a rapid and efficient manner, and the city itself should comply with the principles of smart city mobility. As smart cities nowadays are developing rapidly and an important factor is their management systems and the opportunities offered by the urban environment, it is also necessary to base development on the above-mentioned elements when planning the development strategy of Jelgava. Thus, over the next few years, Jelgava needs to be developed as a smart city with modern transport infrastructure and technology-based everyday life in other sectors as well. One of the most important elements of Jelgava’s development is smart entrepreneurship, which, taking into account the current situation in Jelgava and trends in the development of the industry, can become one of the main cornerstones in the creation of a smart city. In addition, any smart city nowadays needs to involve its citizens as much as possible in the planning process. Active participation of citizens is one of the most important principles of successful urban development. In addition, it builds a cohesive and inclusive society, which also helps to build new generations of healthy, smart and sustainable-thinking members of society. The authors of the paper have developed conclusions and provided proposals for the further development of the urban environment of Jelgava, based on the principles of sustainable development and examples of smart cities in the world.