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Smart cityApr, 2020
11 of the Most Innovative Cities in the WorldAfter 5 years in the start-up world collaborating with companies like Google and Škoda Auto, the award-winning marketer Donovan Alexander restarted his career. He has combined his passion for artificial intelligence, fashion, design, and technology to begin a new journey as an aspiring multidisciplinary designer and technology writer. In his latest article ‘11 of the Most Innovative Cities in the World‘ he examines cities that have become hubs for exciting emerging technologies and are using emerging technologies to improve the quality of their residents’ lives. Take a break from reading about the coronavirus, close your eyes and think about the phrases “innovative city” or “smart city”. When thinking of these phrases, what current cities come to mind? Or, better yet, if you were to create your own city, what aspects of the city would make it “smart” or “innovative”? The rise of new sustainable technologies, the promise of autonomous transportation, the IoT, artificial intelligence, and new innovative construction methods are all re-shaping the modern city. However, these new landscapes are far more than just massive technological hubs. A modern city uses this technology to make all aspects of the lives of its citizens better. Measuring a city’s innovation “Smart cities do not mean creating jungles of concrete or sophisticated cities of glasses with WiFi technologies. But a smart city means a city, where humans, trees, birds, and other animals can grow with all their glories, imperfections, freedom, and creativity,” says Amit Ray in Nuclear Weapons Free World Peace on Earth. However, if you are looking for a more technical description, look no further than the IESE Cities in Motion Index. Created by IESE Business School’s Center for Globalization and Strategy, this index looks at the level of development of 174 cities from 80 countries to find the “smartest” cities around the world. The annual IESE Cities in Motion Index, takes a look at the human capital (developing, attracting and nurturing talent), social cohesion (consensus among the different social groups in a city), economy, environment, governance, urban planning, international outreach, technology, and mobility and transportation (ease of movement and access to public services). Cities on this index tend to share the goal of improving the quality of life of its residents, by ensuring economic, social and environmental sustainability. While the World Economic Forum has the Innovation Cities Index, which centers around cities that offer excellent opportunities for new businesses and start-ups. We are going to take both lists into consideration and create our own list. In no particular order, we are going to look at cities that seem to facilitate innovation through business and cities that use technology to improve the quality of life of its residents. 1. Singapore Singapore is considered one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world. The small but potent Asian Pacific economic powerhouse attracts both a melting pot of tech businesses and people to its lively city. Aside from being a geopolitical safe haven, Singapore is working hard to invest billions in its growing ecosystem of startups, business incubators, and venture capitalists. Its new Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan, aims at investing $19 billion in advanced manufacturing and engineering, the digital economy and services, health and biomedical sciences and urban, sustainable solutions. Traveling around Singapore you will quickly get the feeling that the country is focused on using technology to build better infrastructure for its citizens. You might come across hospitals with a few robot staff, autonomous taxis, and a massive fiber-optic network the lengths of the island. Singapore even features vertical gardens and farms that are able to regulate their temperature by absorbing and dispersing heat, while collecting rainwater. 2. Amsterdam When thinking about smart innovative cities, Amsterdam may not be the first that comes to mind. Yet since 2009, Amsterdam has committed itself to being a “smart city innovator”. The city since, has made some impressive leaps and bounds. A top-three contender on the IESE Cities in Motion Index, Amsterdam’s commitment to energy efficiency, culture, and financial technology make it a “European powerhouse.” Aside from the fact that 90% of households in Amsterdam have bikes, the city aims to completely ban gasoline and diesel cars by the year 2025 and become Europe’s first zero-emission city. 3. Bangalore Bangalore, India is slowly becoming the Silicon Valley of India because of its tremendously growing IT sector. Also, known as Bengaluru, it was a huge outsourcing hub for Western nations. However, now the city has evolved, creating a strong STEM sector, producing millions of jobs for engineers, leading research institutes, and top tier entrepreneurs. According to Culture Trip, Bangalore is responsible for more than half of India’s cutting-edge biotech industry. 4. Copenhagen Another city aiming to become carbon neutral by 2025, this Danish city is not only renowned for its environmental efforts. The city itself is considered to be one of the best places to live in the world because of its quality of life. Just looking at the IESE Cities in Motion Index, the city ranks top 25 in social cohesion, governance, international outreach, mobility and transportation, and the economy. 5. Paris Paris makes the list for its massively growing tech business community that is said to be almost on par with London, attracting talent from across the world. The financial hub also has made a strenuous effort to improve the lives of citizens. The City of Lights has worked hard to promote clean transportation through the use of bikes and electric vehicles. Using the power of the IoT, Paris aims to reinvent the way Europe views public transportation, even going as far as creating a 100% automatic metro system. 6. New York City New York City is a top contender on both the Innovation Cities Index and the IESE Cities in Motion Index for multiple reasons. First and foremost, the Big Apple attracts a lot of top talent in the STEM fields with some of the world’s most important businesses following. In NYC, there are 326,000 people in the tech fields and the city itself hosts well over 7,000 start-ups. The city is pushing out advancements in manufacturing and robotics, cybersecurity, and health and life sciences. On the other end of the spectrum, NYC is working hard to become a “smarter” and more environmentally conscious city for its citizens. Aside from building more sustainable infrastructure, environmental plans like the one created by the Department of Environmental Protection aims to better monitor water consumption in real-time for both customers and the city. 7. Reykjavik Though this city might be one of the smaller cities on this list, Reykjavik is doing some big things. Another top contender on the IESE Cities in Motion Index, the city is considered innovative because of its energy production. Simply put, approximately 99% of the electricity produced in the city and about 80% of the total energy production comes from hydroelectric and geothermal energy. By 2040, the city aims to become a zero-carbon emission city. 8. Seoul Seoul has the goal of becoming one of the world’s first official smart cities using the power of the IoT. Recently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the plans of installing 50,000 Internet of Things (IoT) smart sensors across the city. These sensors would be able to provide citizens information on pollution levels throughout the city, traffic information, and even let them check the availability of public parking throughout the city. 9. Boston Boston hosts some of the most premier schools in the world attracting business and research talent to its streets. Schools like MIT and Harvard churn out leaders in the STEM fields. The city its self has one of the fastest-growing tech sectors in the United States with its booming start-up culture. Companies like Boston Dynamics, have made Boston their home simply for this reason. 10. London London makes the list simply for its ability to attract global business and top tier talent. Its current thriving technology sector makes it an excellent place for start-ups; also bringing in global tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Intel. According to the IESE index, London hosts more start-ups and programmers than any other city in the world. The city’s commitment to improving its transportation over the next decade could push the city to host one of the most innovative and advanced transportation systems in Europe. 11. Tokyo Tokyo’s obvious clash of old and new is splattered along the city, creating the perfect backdrop for many of our favorite science fiction stories. The city’s love for technology has seeped into every aspect of its culture and will probably be even more apparent during this Summer’s 2020 Olympics. Dubbed the robot capital, Tokyo has become a global hub for robotics research and development. Tokyo is even planning to employ robots to help visitors attending the Olympic event, offering everything from foreign language support to bag assistance. Even more so, the city of Tokyo is one of the global leaders of 3D manufacturing, pioneering new 3D printed methods and techniques. According to IESE, Tokyo also has one of the highest rates of labor productivity and has the most populous urban agglomeration in the world.... Read more...
Green vehiclesMar, 2020
E-scooters set to be trialled in the UK for the first timeThe e-scooter trials will initially take place in four “future transport zones”: Portsmouth and Southampton; the West of England Combined Authority (WECA); Derby and Nottingham; and the West Midlands. As part of a call for evidence to plan a “transport revolution”, the UK government has announced that it is consulting on the use of e-scooters and the impact they may have on UK transport as the micromobility vehicles receive approval for trialling in “future transport zones” by the Department for Transport. The review includes exploration of minimum age and vehicle standards, insurance requirements as well as if local authorities should have extra powers to manage the impacts of e-scooters on public space, such as parking restrictions. Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “We are on the cusp of a transport revolution. Emerging technologies are ripping up the rulebook and changing the way people and goods move forever. “Our groundbreaking future of transport programme marks the biggest review of transport laws in a generation and will pave the way for exciting new transport technology to be tested, cementing the UK’s position as a world-leading innovator. “This review will ensure we understand the potential impacts of a wide range of new transport modes such as e-scooters, helping to properly inform any decisions on legalisation. Funding these new zones across the country will also help us safely test innovative ways to get around, creating a greener future transport system for us all. Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and COP26 President, Alok Sharma, said: “Decarbonising transport is key to ending our contribution to climate change. This review could drive down transport emissions by making greener ways to travel available to more people. Future Transport Zones will also help to spur low carbon innovation by providing our best and brightest researchers with testing facilities for the clean transport technologies of the future.”... Read more...
Seamless mobilityMar, 2020
Bringing Nordic Mobility TogetherTrond Hovland, CEO at ITS Norway, explains how the project to create a region-wide enabler platform for mobility in the Nordics – the Nordic Mobility Innovation platform (NMIP) – is bringing together data sources and attempting to lower the barrier to entry for regional MaaS. How did the project begin and what kind of progress have you been able to make so far? In all of the Nordic countries, we have had projects where data provision for public transport and on-demand transport has been an issue. Ever since 2011/12, there have been ongoing activities and projects that focus on it with a view to helping the public sector first, and then slowly moving into the on-demand market – like taxis, carpooling and car-sharing – also enabling data sharing with the public sector. In Finland, these efforts led the way to a new era of legislation and regulation so that it’s legally accepted to set up mobility services without any constraints when it comes to concession from public authorities. In Denmark and Norway, it’s slightly different. We haven’t had that same change in law, so we still need to have concessions in place, which makes it difficult for taxi firms to actually share data and run their own MaaS operation. Over many years, each country has managed to integrate public and private mobility services within specific cities, which means there’s a lot of experience across all three when it comes to sharing data between the public and the private sector. However, these efforts are yet to lead to MaaS operations at any scale – likely due to the cost element for the private sector, but also because we don’t want to have to fine tune their data to fit with public sector APIs. When it comes to ticketing, there has been a slightly different approach. It isn’t possible in all of these countries to pay for buses and trains over a larger area all in one go. In Norway, we have a company called Entur, which is a public entity, that will eventually provide ticketing for all public transport in Norway. Currently, all the rail companies in Norway go through Entur, and gradually all the bus companies will go into it as well. Entur has another mandate outside of ticketing – to collect static and dynamic routing information for all of Norway’s public transport. Based on this, it’s possible to set up trips all over Norway, and once ticketing is introduced, the end goal is to be able to pay for that journey too, needing just one app. At the beginning of 2018 we were approached by Nordic Innovation who asked for a project that could create a MaaS platform for the Nordics. We initially just said no, because of the anticipated difficulty; it’s still difficult to do this within one country – within one city, even – so doing it on such a huge scale is a real challenge. Nordic Innovation didn’t give up on us, though, and persuaded us to at least embark on a pre-project. I approached partners in Sweden, Finland and Denmark to set up a project to see if we could work on the basic level and map all the data sources that were available from on-demand or commercial transportation providers across the Nordics. Over three or four months we made a huge effort to collect all available data sources for transportation providers; taxis, car-poolers, ferries, trains – anything. We ended up with a comprehensive overview of the market, at least the market for data, and got the pre-project approved. We also embarked on a main project to set up a small market enabler platform where we collected data from public transport and combined it with on-demand transportation data to create a use case where passengers could actually go from Oslo by taxi to a train that takes them to a ferry to Denmark, where they can then take the train to Copenhagen. It’s a simple use case where you cross borders using various modes of transport. We made an application using the least amount of data that you would actually need to make that journey in a very simplified use case. We later became aware of another project attempting to make a mobility service platform using that kind of data and we ended up combining the two projects. Half of the project is now focused on making data ready for the market, while the other half of the project will actually use the data to set up mobility services based on a roaming model. Imagine the way you can subscribe to one telecoms company but roam freely in that ecosystem – the idea is to have the same set up for transport services. After deciding to move forward with the two projects together, we made an application to Nordic Innovation and received funding. Sometime later, we became aware of a collaboration network called ODIN which seeks to harmonise open public transport data and other services across Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. The project is well-anchored in the public sector in each of the four countries, and they are currently working towards the same data licensing standard for all countries. They have already agreed upon a common profile for the NeTEx standard. Their work took away half the pain that we were facing from the bottom side where you provide all of that data. Now, we only need to concentrate on taxis and on-demand services in each of the four countries, after which we can make this enabler platform together with the ODIN project. We have given ourselves three years to set this up. In those same three years, ODIN will explore how they deal with on-demand transportation data in their members’ respective platforms while we do the same with public transportation data in our enabler platform. After a few initial meetings with them, it became clear that we have many overlapping interests, so we are working together to find fruitful synergies between NMIP and ODIN. By setting this up, we can at least demonstrate that the standards will work, that the API’s will work, and that there’s quality assurance for the data. Do you think it’s possible to balance both public and private interests with the overall goals of MaaS? Yes, but I doubted it for a long time, until our initial meeting with the private partners and the commercial partners in Finland. The current state of play sees these market participants making agreements with taxi companies, car-poolers and car-sharing companies in individual cities and in individual countries. By extension, they’re essentially saying that if somebody else eventually takes care of that basic data permission – like this enabler platform – then they will take away the cost element for each of these private domain players, which is expensive for them to maintain. If we concentrate on making the concepts, standards and principle clear, along with the ownership of each of the platforms, this project has a good chance of succeeding. Shifting the focus to demonstrating and including concepts, principles and standards within it will put everybody on the same page, regardless of whether they’re a private or public company. Do you think the project is helping to lower barriers to create more viable business models? Is there actually something viable there to work with and how do you get around to creating that? It’s very, very hard to make this work. There is a goal and a recognition between societies that we need to remove cars from cities and reduce emissions. To realistically achieve those goals at the same time, you have to offer mobility services of at least the same standard for everyone that lives in the city. At the same time, you want everybody operating within the market to be profitable as part of a MaaS model. It’s becoming evident that this might not be possible, but at least with an enabler platform like the one we’re working on, this cost of data provision and quality assurance is removed. At the very least, that creates an even playing field for commercial operators, lowering the barrier to make a profitable business out of it. I don’t think that is enough to make it profitable, but if you combine it with artificial intelligence and optimisation of vehicle positioning with each of the vehicles that provide a service, then that will help. That is not a part of this project but will likely become part of an extended project to optimise transport resources in order to give people services that they really want. Another element that might help the business model is if we can simulate models where the subsidies being paid to public transport today could also be shared with on-demand transportation vehicles. If they’re embedded into this enabler platform, maybe they could also receive some public funding. It is unlikely to happen in the short term, but a company like Entur might be willing to help in this kind of project. Again, this isn’t a core part of our project, but could be an extension that can test these business models.... Read more...
Smart cityFeb, 2020
Mobility initiatives launched in LA to combat climate crisisA number of initiatives, including bus and light rail infrastructure improvements and accelerating the city’s bus fleet target to be zero-emission, have been launched in LA to combat the climate crisis. Mayor Eric Garcetti has kicked off a Decade of Action to confront and combat the climate crisis with a number of mobility initiatives in Los Angeles (LA) by signing the Green New Deal. Joined by a coalition of elected officials, environmental advocates, business leaders, and young climate activists, the Mayor laid out his vision for a carbon neutral LA and a firm commitment to environmental justice and equity. LA’s Green New Deal leads with action to zero out Los Angeles’ main sources of harmful emissions including transportation. The Directive includes measures to: Develop a series of bus and light rail infrastructure improvements — such as bus-only lanes, signal priority, and queue jumpers — to improve transit speeds by 30 percent by 2028 Promote walking, bicycling and micro-mobility with a comprehensive citywide network of active transportation corridors, including Class IV protected bike lanes, Class I paths along regional waterways, and Class III low-stress neighborhood bike improvements Accelerate the city’s bus fleet target to be entirely zero-emission in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Support Metro in the development of a Congestion Pricing pilot program. “The science could not be clearer and the stakes could not be higher. We must act this decade to save the planet and create a more equitable, prosperous, and healthy future for our children and grandchildren,” said Mayor Garcetti. “There is literally no time to waste – because what we do in the next ten years will determine the health of our planet and whether there’s a job, a paycheck, and a place for everyone in our economy.”... Read more...
Smart city technologyJan, 2020
Manchester puts big data to useGreater Manchester is the latest city to put big data to good use, managing crowds in its transportation network. It might be hard to believe – when you’re waiting for a bus that finally arrives so full, you’d have been better off walking – that we are any closer to the smart cities that have been pitched to us for years. The daily commutes in the world’s largest cities easily run into millions, and managing those travel flows remains a major task for the authorities as they work towards smarter networks. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), for example, recently announced that it is working with data-warehouse specialist Snowflake to try and coordinate public transportation in the city to meet the needs and schedules of travellers. Snowflake lets TfGM use a cloud-built data platform that aggregates information about the 5.6 million journeys made across the region’s transport network every day. The data warehouse service also manages the data so that city planners can access and interpret it more easily. It may sound like a simple idea, but it is a big step, especially given how TfGM used to process data before it adopted the platform. Malcolm Lowe, head of IT at TfGM, said the authority always had lots of data but accessed it using techniques that ranged from spreadsheets to modelling tools. “It was all very siloed and it took a lot of manual processing, and a lot of time, to get any value from it,” he told ZDNet. “With Snowflake’s platform, we can access the data and carry out analyses that weren’t possible before. We can find out things we never thought we could know.” More specifically, this means TfGM can establish exactly, and in real time, how many people are travelling on the transport network, in which stations, and plan accordingly to have enough trams and staff in the right place, at the right moment. In theory, this advance should limit the number of crammed carriages and angry commuters. Last summer, the city introduced a contactless system on the Metrolink light rail service – an additional wealth of data, which enables Snowflake to gather extra insights by also tracking travellers as they tap in and out of the transport system. Lowe explained that since then, TfGM has identified exactly when the rush hour peaks in the morning and in the evenings – which before was only estimated using anecdotal evidence. In an effort to spread the peaks, the organisation is launching a “contactless early bird” initiative, which offers off-peak prices to commuters if they tap in outside the hours identified by Snowflake. Lowe said Snowflake’s technology will allow for immediate feedback on projects like contactless early bird. “We’ll be able to understand how the initiative has an impact on the network, and from there make evidence-based decisions, rather than perception-based ones,” he said. It is only the start of Greater Manchester’s switch to smarter transportation, partly driven by public demand, said Lowe. In London, planners have been using big data for a number of years already, based on contactless card payments, Oyster card tapping, as well as Apple Pay, Android Pay, and even cameras set up around the network to keep an eye on traffic flows. Every week, the city’s transport organisation, Transport for London (TfL), collects 19 million smart-card ticketing transactions. Last summer, TfL fitted 97% of the city’s underground stations with Wi-Fi, and started collecting data based on travellers’ phones connecting to the network. As useful as ticketing data can be, said the organisation, it can only tell where customers enter and exit London’s underground services. Wi-Fi connections, on the other hand, reflect which platforms and lines customers are using, as well as how they navigate around stations. The data can then be used to manage disruptions more effectively, and provide users with better information to plan their journeys and avoid congestion. For instance, knowing the walking time from one platform to another, and how busy the different paths are, could come in useful for a passenger travelling with luggage. TfL is even hoping that in the future, it can provide users with an online map reflecting the real-time business of the city’s stations. London’s transport organisation is also making a point of sharing data in an open format for anyone to use. The goal is to encourage software engineers to develop new products, and particularly improved app-based services. Lowe said in Manchester sharing data is something that TfGM is thinking about. “We are looking at democratising data,” he said. “We could potentially open it up to CityMapper or Google Maps, for example. We should think about other functions it could serve, like embedding ticket purchase in the application. But these are still early thoughts.” The idea of open and democratic data is also likely to be welcome among passengers who worry about transparency. As with many things smart, improving transportation doesn’t come without tracking customers – and although data is anonymised, the increased level of surveillance is sure to make some commuters uncomfortable. Francesca Bria, the chief of technology and digital information for Barcelona City Council, identified the need for a “citizen-owned data ecosystem” a few years ago. The Catalan city has been using data-driven technologies to improve the everyday lives of its inhabitants since 2011. City planners have developed, for example, a more efficient orthogonal grid scheme for the bus network, fitted with bus stops that allow connections with tram and metro lines. With the new routes, there should never be more than one change needed for a passenger to link any two points in the city. However, Bria believes that a smart city has to be achieved hand in hand with the citizen, in what she calls e-democracy. It starts with making sure smart city dwellers know exactly what data is being collected about them. Barcelona is, in fact, one of the four pilot cities for a European project called DECODE(Decentralised Citizen Owned Data Ecosystems), an initiative that attempts to implement practical solutions to let users manage their data more easily. Among other things, the city has launched an online dashboard that lets citizens visualise the information held about them, find out with whom it is shared and under what conditions. For Bria, the future smart city is one that protects citizens’ technological sovereignty, which she described as “citizens’ capacity to participate in how the technological infrastructure around them operates and what ends it serves”. So, the concept linked to smarter bus routes and manageable crowds in the underground and it is one that city planners should keep in mind each time they deploy data-driven tools, even if it is to make the lives of commuters easier.... Read more...
Smart cityAug, 2017
10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to InnovationSmart Cities Guru founder Anil Ahuja has compiled the 10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to Innovation report to highlight which cities are leaders at balancing new technology with good nature policies. “A smart city doesn’t just provide technology or economic solutions,” he said in a statement. “The smartest cities in the world are integrating nature to create a truly sustainable city. I have identified a number of cities in the United States that are excellent examples for other smart cities to model themselves after.” The cities were selected based on four factors key to a thriving, vibrant city, according to a press release: Social – quality of life. Does the city implement technology to optimize opportunity, such as green roofs, green facades, bike lanes, healthy food markets, efficient health-care facilities and biophilic design? Economic – quality jobs. Does the city attract and retain top tier talent and attract high-tech industries and investments? Environmental – quality air and water. Does the city have adequate amounts of green space to improve air quality and the right green infrastructure to manage storm water runoff? How does the city utilize technology for more efficient water and energy usage? Technology – ease of communication. Does the city utilize technology to speed up the flow of information? Ahuja’s list includes Boston, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, and to be carbon-neutral by 2050. The city also uses its residents as sensors; apps such as Street Bump allow motorists to collect road conditions while they drive, while the Citizens Connect app allows Boston residents to report public issues directly from their smartphones into the city’s work order management system, which routes it immediately to the right person in City Hall to fix the problem. And in Seattle, which was called out for being a pioneer and leader in establishing and increasing the adoption of green standards, the city has numerous programs to improve energy efficiency, largely through green development policies and building standards. The Green Building Sustainable Communities Program, for example, creates projects that meet sustainable outcomes. The city also provides tax breaks, loans and other incentives to businesses and residences that utilize green practices. In 2016, Seattle eliminated departmental silos and consolidated technology professionals from 15 departments into one, which has led to better collaboration and improved efficiencies. The city developed its Next Generation Data Center, which in part, brought together servers from disparate locations. “Through IT consolidation we focused on how we could share infrastructure to reduce costs and operate more efficiently,” Seattle Chief Technology Officer Michael Mattmiller told Government Technology. “As a result, the project came in more than $2 million under budget and we were able to effectively introduce new technologies like hyper-converged infrastructure and cloud solutions that help our staff deploy solutions more quickly.” And Orlando, Fla., was recognized for its approach to smart operation of transportation, security and emergency management, and energy waste reduction programs. More specifically, it has retrofitted 28 public buildings to enable real-time energy consumption tracking which has led to an average 31 percent reduction in annual utility costs. “Many of the retrofits included advanced controls that enable facility managers to track energy consumption in real time and to receive notifications when large systems like chillers or condensing units are using abnormal amounts of energy, allowing facility staff to quickly address problems,” according to the report. Portland, Ore., promotes energy efficiency through a number of residential, commercial and government initiatives. It was the first city to create a local action plan to reduce carbon emissions. Portland aims to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. Ahuja’s top cities for integrating nature and technology listed alphabetically are: Boston – Engaging its citizens through crowdsourced mobile technology to enable smart government. Chicago – Leveraging data to make cities healthier, more efficient and more livable. Los Angeles – Leveraging big data, mobile and cloud based technologies to save energy and improve efficiency. New York – Maximizing real-time traffic information to reduce congestion, improve the flow of traffic and decrease carbon emissions. Orlando – Recognized for its approach to smart operation of transportation, security and emergency management and energy waste reduction programs. Portland, Ore. – Investing in IoT sensor networks and leveraging smart agriculture applications and big data to benefit the local region. San Diego – Adopting the Climate Action Plan, which will improve public health and air quality, conserve water, and use current resources more efficiently. San Francisco – Multiple initiatives including waste reduction, electric car charging and building performance optimization. Seattle – A pioneer and leader for establishing and increasing the adoption of green standards. Washington, D.C. – A leader in smart mobility and for its ratio of park acres to citizens. ... Read more...
Green vehiclesJul, 2017
Nissan Leaf leads a global EV taxi revolutionNissan’s Intelligent Driving is foremost about performance, comfort and safety, removing the stress from a daily commute or minimizing the risk of unsafe conditions. Many of these advances are already available, as drivers can rely today on vehicles to recognize danger or take appropriate action to enhance safety. Nissan is leading with its Safety Shield technologies like Lane Departure Warning and Forward Emergency Braking, and will advance this leadership into autonomous drive technologies, available to all customers on core models in the range. Nissan will launch multiple vehicles with autonomous drive technology in the next four years in Europe, the United States, Japan and China. The technology will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices and the first model will come to Japan this year. An on-road demo event in Europe in 2016 will showcase the maturity of Nissan’s autonomous drive technology. In 2017, the Nissan Qashqai will become the first Piloted Drive vehicle available in Europe. “Autonomous technologies have been part of our R&D activities for a long time,” said Daniele Schillaci, executive vice president, Global Marketing and Sales at Nissan. “We’ve done extensive and ongoing on-road testing since 2013. This verified the integrity and versatility of Nissan’s Piloted Drive engineering in real-world scenarios. Our autonomous technology is additive to the driving experience you have today, offering more enjoyable driving and less stress.” For millions of people around the world looking for a comfortable taxi journey, riding in a taxi became a more enjoyable experience – and better for the environment – in 2013 when a taxi company in Japan went all in and converted its entire fleet of conventional taxis to zero-emission Nissan LEAFs. It was the first step in a global electric taxi revolution. Since then, taxi companies in Spain, The Netherlands, Hungary, the UK, Jordan, Mexico and Poland have all adopted zero-emission Nissan electric taxis. Today, Nissan taxis – LEAF, e-NV200 or both – are in service on five continents, 26 countries and 113 cities around the world. Reduced emissions, significant savings and cheaper maintenance for taxi companies – plus a quiet and comfortable ride for passengers – are all benefits of electric taxis. With proven business results and cost savings, zero-emission Nissan taxis are the smarter choice, bringing Nissan Intelligent Mobility to customers and taxi liveries worldwide. Through electric vehicles, Intelligent Mobility is Nissan’s way of transforming how cars are driven, powered and integrated into wider society. Find out more about Nissan EV taxi leadership in the infographic below. ... Read more...
Smart cityJun, 2017
New York City’s first Neighborhood Innovation LabNew York City’s first Neighborhood Innovation Lab is coordinating new smart city efforts. The city announced that the lab — based in the neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn, since March — will start a tech education program to teach digital skills to the youth, while also installing smart trash cans for efficient pickups and solar powered smart benches to charge devices, detect foot traffic, and monitor the environment. The education program began with a hands-on workshop to develop solar powered toy cars through the Young Innovators Program led by The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon). The initiative is expected to reach about 1,000 Brownsville youth by the end of 2017 through similar workshops. At the high school level, the effort will place 36 students into a program, teaching skills like application development and product design. “As technology evolves and becomes even more essential to our everyday urban lives, New York City only grows stronger,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a press release. “We are thrilled to see the launch of the Brownsville Innovation Lab, which will connect residents to resources, dynamic education opportunities, and deliver a significant boost to economic development in the neighborhood.” The youth program will be managed by the Brownsville Community Justice Center, and in addition to BNY Mellon’s support, is backed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, whose officials say they intend to use it as a springboard for job programs like the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline. As part of the Neighborhood Innovation Lab, Brownsville is a testing ground for smart city tools and a hub for local collaboration — residents, teachers, city staff and tech companies who can gather to confront shared problems and improve community life. Since the lab began in March, Brownsville community leaders have held a series of strategic planning sessions, defining their core needs and investigating smart technologies. A few of these needs include safety improvements, litter control, digital literacy and access to healthy food. The city has funded the lab with $250,000 annually and has announced it is considering creating labs in each of the city’s five boroughs. “Being a smart city means ensuring our communities have access to technologies and programs that improve quality of life, create new jobs and support our city’s youth having skill sets to build their future,” said New York City’s Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamiño in a statement. “This next phase of Neighborhood Innovation Labs is an important step in making sure all New Yorkers can participate in a modern world.”... Read more...

Mobility initiatives launched in LA to combat climate crisis

2020-04-15T04:03:34+00:00By Jess Flowers|Categories: Smart city|0 Comments

A number of initiatives, including bus and light rail infrastructure improvements and accelerating the city’s bus fleet target to be zero-emission, have been launched in LA to combat the climate crisis. Mayor Eric Garcetti has [...]

Manchester puts big data to use
Manchester puts big data to use

15Jan, 2020

Manchester puts big data to use

2020-04-15T05:12:53+00:00By Jess Flowers|Categories: Smart city technology|0 Comments

Greater Manchester is the latest city to put big data to good use, managing crowds in its transportation network. It might be hard to believe – when you're waiting for a bus that finally arrives [...]

10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to Innovation
10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to Innovation

7Aug, 2017

10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to Innovation

2017-08-07T13:00:43+00:00By Irina Danila|Categories: Smart city|0 Comments

Smart Cities Guru founder Anil Ahuja has compiled the 10 Cities Taking a Nature-Driven Approach to Innovation report to highlight which cities are leaders at balancing new technology with good nature policies. “A smart city doesn’t just [...]

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