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May 21
The concept of smart cities has been around longer than one might think. The first smart city, Seuol, started its initiatives in 2014. Since then, the concept has spread worldwide.
With recent advancements in AI and analytics, modern technologies have become more affordable, powerful and efficient, enabling the adoption of more smart city projects.
In the U.S., fourteen cities are leading the way in smart innovation. Their initiatives inspire others with projects in smart infrastructure, energy efficiency, sustainability and the seamless integration of digital services that utilize AI for the greater good.
A smart city leverages data and connected technology to enhance the quality of life for both visitors and residents. By leveraging sensors, data, analytics, AI and the cloud, these projects are revolutionizing how cities can thrive now and in the future.
Even in the most densely populated cities, transportation programs and innovations such as smart traffic lights, real-time wayfinding, bike-sharing and smart parking can ease mobility, reduce congestion and overcrowding, making city life more time- and energy-efficient.
By design, smart cities intend to have a positive impact on sustainability. Transit-related initiatives enhance air quality by optimizing routes and reducing idling times, while the adoption of LED lighting can lower energy consumption. Additionally, smart home meters help residents monitor their energy and water to conserve and reduce waste, while utility projects can improve water usage at scale while minimizing pollution.
A hallmark characteristic of smart cities is enabling connectivity for all. Linking people to the resources and information they need, from critical services to education to entertainment, improves the quality of life for citizens and tourists alike. It also helps city leaders capture and analyze data to generate additional insights about civic operations and develop new services that benefit citizens. Connectivity is a crucial component in driving public engagement and empowering residents to play an active role in creating the smart cities of the future.
Several smart cities in the U.S.A. are leading the way in innovation. Their initiatives inspire others with projects in smart infrastructure, energy efficiency, sustainability, and the seamless integration of digital services that use AI for good.
The Smart Dallas vision is to be one of the most attractive cities by 2030. They began with a pilot project in a troubled neighborhood, installing LED streetlights, AI-enabled cameras with environmental sensors for air quality monitoring, and ubiquitous WiFi. The project reduced crime and increased digital connectivity for the pilot neighborhood.
Connect Chicago is expanding internet access and offering digital skills training and online learning to help individuals upskill and reskill for the new economy. The Chicago Works for You program provides online views of service delivery, and the Chicago City Health Atlas keeps residents informed on local health trends.
Denver’s CityNow program tests solar mini-grids and remote-controlled LED streetlights to minimize energy use. It is also piloting a smart road system with real-time navigation recommendations to help reduce congestion.
Seattle has developed a Food Rescue Innovation Lab to find real-time information on excess food. The system provides the most effective logistics for distributing food to those experiencing food insecurity, helping to reduce food waste.
Access Charlotte is extending internet access and improving digital navigation. Learn2Earn offers digital literacy and online learning to support skills development. Smart Charlotte Engagement aims to achieve digital equity and civic innovation.
San Francisco focuses on smart transportation, with a bike-sharing program that reduces the number of vehicles in the city, and a program called SFpark that utilizes smart parking meters and sensors to provide real-time parking information, thereby reducing congestion and emissions. Meanwhile, the city’s smart waste program installs sensors on waste cans to monitor when they are empty, thereby decreasing unnecessary trips for trash collection.
The nation’s capital utilizes AI and analytics from video cameras to monitor who and what is moving through the city, including cars, bicycles, buses and pedestrians. Officials also installed smart streetlights to reduce energy consumption, and they built digital kiosks for free public WiFi to promote citizen connectivity.
Boston has added innovative parking apps to reduce congestion. Go Boston 2030 is an initiative designed to promote alternative forms of transportation. Boston also installed smart lighting to reduce energy and added free public WiFi to improve the citizen experience.
Chattanooga is one of two US smart cities that use AI and digital twins to develop smart intersections. It will include the US’s most significant urban deployment of IoT devices. The data collected will help optimize trucking routes.
Like other cities, Boulder has implemented smart parking to reduce congestion. Still, it has taken an extra step to enable vehicle-to-grid EV charging, thereby reducing emissions, and has also enabled real-time smart air quality monitoring.
San Jose aims to close the digital divide by expanding internet access and WiFi extenders. The Bay Area city was also the first to adopt FirstNet, facilitating reliable communication between all first responders.
New York City, like Chattanooga, effectively leverages AI and analytics, along with digital twins, to create a smart system that modernizes its aging grid. LinkNYC is adding free WiFi and charging stations, as well as smart traffic management systems. Meanwhile, smart traffic lights using AI-enabled video cameras are helping to reduce congestion in the city.
Miami maximizes city poles by adding IoT sensors and smart lights to save energy. The city has also focused heavily on smart civil building infrastructure, including temperature control, facial recognition and AI assistants.
LaGrange unveiled a new solar roadway system that produces energy for a solar-powered EV charging station. These are the first road surface-powered solar panels in a US city.
Smart city projects should have a positive impact on sustainability. Transit-related initiatives can improve air quality by optimizing routes and reducing idling times, while the adoption of LEDs and smart lighting can reduce energy consumption.
A smart city uses data and connected technology to improve the quality of life for visitors and residents.
5G and Smart Cities: Transforming Urban Life
What will smart cities look like in the future? Will we see flying taxis, wide-scale drone deliveries, self-driving cars, hoverboards and hyperloops? Maybe. However, if we follow existing trends, cities will become more harmonious with nature, utilize natural resources more efficiently and achieve ubiquitous connectivity.
Cities will likely add more community green space, including communal gardens where residents can access locally grown fruits and vegetables. Adding more green spaces throughout cities and on rooftops will also help improve air quality and the overall experience of living in metropolitan areas.
Smart cities are at the forefront of the global effort to achieve a sustainable future. Technology, particularly AI, will play a pivotal role in this transformation. For instance, AI will revolutionize utility grids, enabling autonomous monitoring and self-maintenance. Moreover, these cities will rely on more reliable and sustainable fuel sources, including biodegradable ones, thereby reducing their dependence on fossil fuels.
One of the most exciting areas of transformation in smart cities is healthcare. The integration of AI in diagnostics and personalization will revolutionize the healthcare landscape. It could lead to a proliferation of remote care solutions and customized treatments, significantly improving healthcare accessibility and quality.
In the future, cities will achieve connectivity for everyone. Students and adults will have access to educational programs and topics taught worldwide. Ubiquitous connectivity will finally close the knowledge and experience gap by enhancing everyone’s lives with realistic tours of museums, historic locations worldwide, and more.
Addressing data privacy concerns is a significant challenge. People need to know what data organizations collect, how they collect and store it and why. Cities must educate their citizens about these critical concerns and the benefits of utilizing data to enhance daily life. By developing a shared understanding of the data collected and its use, smart cities can inspire better cooperation and collaboration with citizens.
And make no mistake, smart cities require a lot of data. Managing large datasets can be challenging for companies; imagine the task for a municipality dealing with numerous separate organizations (agencies, utilities, vendors, etc.), as well as residents’ data. All of the information collected from these disparate sources must be stored, combined, structured, analyzed, migrated to the cloud and integrated with new solutions and services. Cities should work with experienced system integrators to streamline the process.
Cybersecurity is a risk with any technology project. Cities are no different, primarily because they collect data from thousands or millions of endpoints, some of which may contain personally identifiable information, thereby compounding the privacy concerns noted above.
Project officials must ensure the use of robust encryption techniques when transmitting data. They must go to great lengths to collect only the essential data, and data storage should be decentralized to add a layer of protection. New technologies like blockchain and AI can help safeguard systems and data; including experienced cybersecurity experts is essential.
Another overlooked challenge, surprisingly, is that not everyone has access to the internet. The digital divide is real. Bringing connectivity to underserved communities and promoting inclusive urban internet access are key features of smart cities. Some of the top smart cities in the US, in fact, have dedicated programs that add WiFi kiosks to extend internet access for those who don’t currently have it. Other cities utilize multi-use towers equipped with smart lights and AI-enabled video cameras to install WiFi extenders, thereby enhancing access.
Regulations can protect all parties involved in city programs and help build confidence in the concept. The Smart Cities and Communities Act of 2021 aimed to update the nation’s physical infrastructure by utilizing data analytics and sensors to enhance energy, water and transportation services.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also joined several other countries in releasing guidelines for protecting assets in smart city programs. As cities in the US add new categories of smart city projects, more regulations are likely to evolve.
Smart cities’ hallmark characteristic, though, is enabling connectivity for all. Linking people to the resources and information they need, from critical services to education to entertainment, improves the quality of life for citizens and tourists alike.
Becoming a smart city doesn’t happen overnight. Civic leaders should start with one project, something visible and with an immediate impact, such as traffic management, to prove the concept and build support.
Engaging citizens is essential. These smart city projects require data collection, which necessitates the cooperation of citizens. Citizen input ensures that smart initiatives align with their needs, and it helps provide a shared sense of responsibility among residents for the project’s success.
Another benefit of collecting citizen input is uncovering innovations to urban living challenges, a hallmark of smart cities and a key consideration for city planners.
Citizen ideas can lead to efficient solutions, like more online service options. For example, the pandemic drove wide acceptance of the telehealth industry. It was a necessity then, but now it’s a consistent and widely accepted way to provide more people with easy access to healthcare.
Collaborating and learning from citizens and other cities is key to the future. Without knowing what works and what doesn’t, how can cities hope to evolve and become even smarter? Information sharing and other collaborative efforts should include several stakeholders, even technology companies and associations like the Cellular Telephone Industries Association (CTIA), in addition to the “usual suspects” of governments, universities and citizen-led groups.
One collaborative example is the CityBridge program in New York City. The goal of this initiative is to replace 6,400 payphones with smart kiosks that provide and extend WiFi signals. Funding will come not from taxes, but from the advertising displayed on the kiosks, an excellent example of public/private partnership and creative thinking.
In another example, Chattanooga, Tennessee, is working with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to analyze freight-based traffic congestion using digital twins and AI. Truck congestion leads to wasted time and fuel. The project aims to optimize trucking routes and pave the way to truck-based transport efficiency throughout the US.
Smart city initiatives are noble endeavors. The innovative projects in 14 of the top smart cities in the US will lead to a smarter and more efficient future.
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