I help cities, companies, and institutions make informed decisions about the future across energy, urban development, climate, and business — with a focus on mobility.
Ing. Viktor Beneš, MSc., Ph.D.
Strategy and innovation advisor with a background in Smart Cities, urban mobility, and the public sector. I connect technology, data, and institutions into decisions that hold up in a broader context.
Context as an advantage
My core field is transport and smart mobility, but good decisions in this area can't be reached in isolation. That's why I deliberately keep learning adjacent domains: energy, urban development, climate, and business, so that the strategies I help shape stay robust and actually work in a real, interconnected world, not just on paper.
I've applied this approach in cooperation with the City of Prague at Operátor ICT, a.s., where I was responsible for mobility innovation and expert assessment across the mobility domain (electromobility, active mobility, public transport, telematics, and more). I apply it as well as the expert lead of the National Innovation Platform for Smart Cities at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and in my doctoral research, where I connected transport, emissions, weather, and urban morphology into a single data model.
I believe an advisor's value isn't in how much they know about one thing, but in how many different perspectives they can combine into a single usable recommendation, and explain clearly to the people who actually have to make the decision.
At a glance
- Ph.D., Smart Cities — Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Transportation Sciences and Faculty of Architecture (2026) — Model of transport, emissions, and weather relationships for selected territorial units
- MSc., Transportation Systems Engineering — Linköping University (2021) — Occupancy Prediction of Public Parking Spaces
- Ing., Intelligent Transport Systems — Czech Technical University in Prague (2021) — Occupancy Prediction of Public Parking Spaces
- Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade — Expert lead for the Intelligent Settlements domain in the National Innovation Platform VI (2023–present)
- Operátor ICT, a.s. — Manager of Smart City products and projects (2019–2026)
A holistic approach to Smart City development
Smart Cities emerge from gradually connecting individual domains (transport and mobility, urban development, business and innovation, energy and climate) into one working whole. The open position in the diagram represents ongoing learning in new areas. That connective work is the core of what I do.
Ways we can work together
Four formats of collaboration — from a one-off talk to a longer-term advisory mandate.
Talks & workshops
Smart Cities, the future of mobility, connecting transport with energy and climate, systems thinking in the public sector. For conferences, internal company events, and smaller expert gatherings.
Advisory & consulting
Strategic recommendations and expert review for decisions at the intersection of mobility, energy, urban development, and innovation — from shaping a strategy to assessing a specific proposal.
Custom analysis
Deeper analytical outputs and methodological support — including applying the methodology from my doctoral research (connecting transport, emissions, weather, and urban morphology) to a specific location.
Communication & presentations
Clear explanations of complex transport and smart city projects — from presentations for leadership and partners to public and media communication strategy.
Business Model Canvas for Smart Cities
Two frameworks drawn from my research and practice — one for the city's perspective, one for a company or startup looking to work with a Smart City. Free in exchange for an email to my newsletter.
BMC — for cities
How a Smart City collaborates with partners and where value is created for residents.
Download PDF
BMC — for entrepreneurs
Customer segments, value proposition, and revenue streams for a company or startup.
Download PDFProven track record
Innovation and strategy for urban mobility
- Sustainable Mobility Plan for Prague and its surroundings — I advised on data collection and use, and coordinated measures across the City of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region.
- EV charging infrastructure strategy for Prague — I connected the transport, energy, and urban planning perspectives into a single concept.
- Active and shared mobility — I coordinated data collection and designed a governance system for shared mobility in Prague, including representing the city in the international Shared Micromobility Alliance.
- Mentor and lead for the Nakopni Prahu hackathon — I defined the challenges for competing teams and guided them from idea to implementation.
- International cooperation — I contributed as the lead on travel-behavior data for the Ascend project.
- Other — additional mobility-related work, project and product management, including overseeing Prague's annual Smart Prague Index.
National Innovation Platform VI (Intelligent Settlements / Smart Cities domain)
I serve as the expert lead for this topic within the National RIS3 Strategy — I formulate research and innovation priorities for smart cities and mobility, and connect public administration, academia, and industry.
Model of transport, emissions, and weather relationships for selected territorial units
I built a semantic model connecting meteorology, transport, emissions, and urban morphology — validated on two Prague streets (Legerova, Vršovická). The proof-of-concept shows how a data-driven approach can support city decisions on transport and the environment.
My research is also available on ResearchGate.
Occupancy Prediction of Public Parking Spaces
I developed a system that uses machine learning (AI/ML) to short-term predict public parking space occupancy from historical data, and recommends to users whether they'll find a free spot at a chosen parking lot. As a double-degree student, I defended the thesis at both universities — Czech Technical University in Prague and Linköping University.
Designing an application for optimizing transport capacity utilization
I designed an intermodal navigation system in the spirit of MaaS (Mobility as a Service), based on an analysis of current transport apps in Czechia and abroad and a survey of user data.
What it's like to work together
Feedback from people I've worked with on projects, talks, or advisory engagements.
Long-form writing & quick takes
Substack
Longer essays and analysis on smart cities, mobility, and connecting fields into one system.
Current developments and quick takes from the field — shorter, more frequent posts.
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Let's talk about working together
The fastest way to reach me is email or LinkedIn — write a few lines about the topic and I'll get back with a suggested next step.