Introducing Europe’s newest urban mobility event: polisMOBILTY. polisMOBILITY is a forward-thinking conference and expo that focuses on the future of mobility and urban living, taking place between May 18 to 21 at the Koelnmesse and the City of Cologne. Strategically located in the heart of Europe’s largest economic area and a densely populated metropolitan region, the City of Cologne is the ideal place to showcase the innovations and solutions that will transform cities and solve the challenges of tomorrow.
SMART CITY SOLUTIONS | All Articles
10 MIN. READ
3 MIN. READ
FIWARE Tackles The Open-Source Economy In Its Latest White Paper
By Joe Appleton on Feb 24, 2022 3:03:38 AM
Open-source innovation is at the forefront of ensuring that software-based processes, operational models, decision-making, and end-user experiences happen in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, but how is it being used in Smart City applications? The topic has been explored in detail in the latest White Paper from the FIWARE Foundation and a selection of its members and partners.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Open Data
Smart Economy
Transparency
Co-Creation
White Paper
Open Source
9 MIN. READ
Unsafe to Cross: The Need for Pedestrian Safety Solutions
By Jon Glasco on Feb 18, 2022 10:33:40 AM
Ensuring pedestrian safety is a complex challenge throughout the world - especially when many smart cities are encouraging more walking while trying to reduce hazardous crosswalk and traffic situations. In this article, we cover pedestrian safety challenges, offer examples of smart crosswalk solutions and review pedestrian safety policies.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Pedestrian Safety
Road Safety
Vision Zero
Pedestrian Standards
Walkable
8 MIN. READ
How Bettair Cities Gives El Prat de Llobregat A Breath Of Fresh Air
By Joe Appleton on Dec 16, 2021 4:50:47 PM
When it comes to air quality, cities that attract heavy industry are often some of the biggest victims. For the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, just outside of Barcelona, air pollution is a huge problem. The area is an attractive place for industry, largely because of the region’s location: it’s sandwiched directly between the bustling Barcelona Airport on one side and the restless Port of Barcelona on the other. While industry often brings wealth to a region, it also brings its fair share of challenges.
Topics:
Smart Environment
Barcelona
Air Quality Monitoring
Air Quality
4 MIN. READ
Expo Round Up: Smart City Expo World Congress 2021
By Joe Appleton on Dec 16, 2021 11:05:34 AM
As the world’s leading Smart City event, Smart City Expo World Congress 2021 was a unique platform for urbanists, city leaders, solution providers, private enterprises, and citizens to connect and share ideas. With cities facing bigger challenges than ever before, the need for idea sharing platforms like SCEWC has never been greater. SCEWC 2021 has already been and gone, but the memories of the event will leave a lasting impression until next year when SCEWC will return to Barcelona for its 11th edition.
6 MIN. READ
Smart City Expo World Congress 2021: 10 Years Of Smart City Innovation
By Joe Appleton on Nov 8, 2021 9:15:00 AM
Ever since the event’s first edition in 2011, the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) has been at the forefront of Smart City innovation. As the world's largest Smart City event, the Barcelona-based Expo has been a major driving force of the Smart City agenda, empowering cities, promoting collaboration, and creating valuable partnerships between private businesses and public sector departments. All in the hope of bringing social equity, sustainability, resilience, and a brighter future for our cities and the citizens who live within them.
9 MIN. READ
IAA 2021: Shaping the Future of Mobility
By Joe Appleton on Sep 21, 2021 3:45:51 PM
September 2021 brought something of a milestone to the smart mobility movement. Historically, Germany’s legendary IAA was a celebration of the automotive industry. Held in Frankfurt, it attracted petrolheads from all over the world who wanted a first-hand glimpse at the state of the industry. However, times have changed, and the IAA has evolved with it.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Last-Mile Delivery
Last-Mile Logistics
Urban Mobility
Autonomous Vehicles
Future Mobility
München
Ride-Sharing
IAA 2021
Munich
10 MIN. READ
Bridging America’s Digital Divide: The Search for Equitable Solutions
By Jon Glasco on Sep 17, 2021 12:59:19 AM
More than 35 years ago, an American entrepreneur challenged the monopoly power and anti-competitive practices of AT&T - at that time the nation’s dominant provider of telephony services. Today, government leaders and entrepreneurs are challenging the dominance of cable companies who control broadband networks and operate as internet service providers (ISPs). Today’s challenge is driven by the digital divide and a digital equity shortfall in the U.S. which places many low-income households, students, small businesses, unemployed and rural citizens at a disadvantage.
Topics:
Broadband Connectivity
5G
Digital Equity
Digital Transformation
digital
Digital Divide
Digital Devices
Internet Service
Broadband Internet
Broadband Communication
11 MIN. READ
Why Smart Cities need to start getting smart about Water
By Joe Appleton on Jun 1, 2021 9:30:00 AM
The impacts of climate change have already begun to cause damage to our planet. The Earth’s landscape has drastically transformed over the last century, and the natural world is under threat from rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and rapid urbanization. Our cities are growing, and their populations are swelling along with them.
Topics:
Smart City
Sustainable Urban Development
Water Management
Smart Water
Climate Crisis
Impact of Drought
Drought
14 MIN. READ
City Climate - Modern City Climate Monitoring for Smart Cities
By Dr. Sebastian Schlögl on May 20, 2021 5:45:44 PM
As early as in the 19th century, people recognized that the air quality in rural areas was much better than in urban areas. Nowadays, cities worldwide cope with challenges such as air pollution, extreme air temperatures, and heavy precipitation. In the future, these problems will occur more often due to climate change. This trend will result in an unknown amount of economic damage and endanger the life and health of the cities’ populations.
Topics:
Smart City
Climate Change
Climate Crisis
Climate Solutions
Climate Goals
City Climate Monitoring
meteoblue
9 MIN. READ
What is IoT and why is it important for Smart Cities?
By Joe Appleton on May 11, 2021 11:56:18 AM
Ever since the idea of a smart city was first introduced, Internet of Things technology has been a key pillar of smart city development. As technology advances and more countries embrace next-generation connectivity, IoT technology will continue to grow and have a bigger effect on the way we live.
According to numbers from the Improving Internet of Things (IoT) Security with Software-Defined Network (SDN) study, there will be more than 75.44 billion connected IoT devices by 2025. With a forecast of over 7.33 billion mobile users by 2023 and more than 1,105 million connected wearable devices users by 2022, the Internet of Things is expected to grow into one of the smartest collective and collaborative systems in history.
Topics:
Smart City
Internet of Things (IoT)
Smart Cities
Sensor Networks
IoT
Urban Data Platform
Sensors
Smart Technology
4 MIN. READ
Leading Cities and QBE are looking for resilient city solutions
By Thomas Mueller on Apr 21, 2021 4:37:20 PM
For the third time, the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge of QBE North America collaborates with the non-profit organization Leading Cities. Start-ups have the opportunity to apply for the accelerator program. Since the smart city startup accelerator program launch, more than 1,500 smart city solutions from over 50 countries have been evaluated.
Semi-finalists of the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge take part in the eight-week virtual accelerator program. For the finalists, the program culminates in a virtual boot camp and a pitch day. The winner will receive USD 100,000 and a pilot project in a city. The start-ups that rank second and third will receive $ 25,000 and additional resources and access to valuable connections to help scale their initiatives. The application deadline is April 30, 2021.
Topics:
Smart City Startup
Innovation
Smart City
Smart City Innovation
Smart Cities
Leading Cities
Startup Challenge
Resilient City
QBE
Resilience Challenge
12 MIN. READ
5G Enables Smart City Innovation
By Jon Glasco on Apr 15, 2021 9:24:26 AM
Mobile operators worldwide are investing in 5G networks, and proponents of this much-hyped technology believe it will enable a new wave of smart city development. According to the IEEE, "5G is not just an evolutionary upgrade of the previous generation of cellular networks. It is a revolutionary technology … and a critical piece of the smart city puzzle."
Topics:
Innovation
Smart City
Smart City Innovation
5G
Smart Cities
Urban Mobility
Smart Education
Covid-19
Telehealth Services
10 MIN. READ
The Use of AI for Smart Urban Services in Smart Cities
By Joe Appleton on Apr 6, 2021 4:05:46 PM
When used correctly, disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence can improve our urban landscape for the better. Drawing from huge resource pools and using a combination of modern machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and more, artificial intelligence can be leveraged to drive efficiency and improve the quality of life for the smart cities of the smart cities tomorrow.
Topics:
Smart City
Smart Cities
Urban Planning
Artificial Intelligence
AI
Big Data
Urban Data
Big Data Analytics
17 MIN. READ
How The Urban Heat Island Effect Is Harming Our Cities
By Joe Appleton on Dec 3, 2020 10:58:59 AM
The current climate crisis is having a drastic effect on the planet. While it’s easy to place the blame on rapid deforestation and unsustainable industry, one of the largest contributors to the current climate change phenomenon is much closer to home: our cities.
Topics:
Smart City
Urban Planning
Air Pollution
Sustainable Cities
Climate Change
Resilience
Urban Heat Island
Climate Crisis
Climate Solutions
Climate Goals
7 MIN. READ
CityTech RUHR: How Cities Innovate through City-Startup Collaboration
By Thomas Mueller on Dec 1, 2020 1:56:40 PM
The first edition of CityTech RUHR, Germany’s largest international smart city startup challenge, concluded with the successful development and implementation of pilot projects by three international startups in three participating cities of the Ruhr Metropolis. Three success stories reflect the high innovation potential that can be leveraged through the collaboration between cities and startups.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart City Challenge
Smart City
Smart Cities
Ruhr Metropolis
Business Metropole Ruhr
City of Cities
City Tech Ruhr
3 MIN. READ
Smart City Live 2020: What cities should do in the new normal scenario?
By Thomas Mueller on Nov 9, 2020 9:56:00 AM
Meeting those needs presents an incredibly urgent and disconcertingly novel set of challenges. So, what are cities doing beyond locking down and freezing up? What kind of systems and smart city innovations should they put in place to be more resilient?
Topics:
Smart City
Smart Cities
Urban Innovation
Smart City Expo World Congress
Urban Challenges
Post-Covid City
Covid-19
Smart City Live 2020
3 MIN. READ
Solutions for Cities: International Digital Ideas Competition started
By Thomas Mueller on Nov 3, 2020 1:00:03 PM
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed similar challenges to cities and municipalities around the world. What have we learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and how can innovative solutions also be used in the post-crisis period? The international digital ideas competition #SolutionsForCities, started by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI), is not only intended to find answers to all these questions. Rather, cities and municipalities are to be supported through international collaboration in identifying digital solutions to overcome their local challenges.
Partnering cities of the International Smart Cities Network (ISCN) and German cities that have been recognized as "Smart Cities Model Projects" have identified current challenges to be solved through the international ideas competition.
Topics:
Smart City Challenge
Smart City
Smart Cities
Urban Challenges
BMI
International Smart Cities Network
Ideas Competition
Solutions for Cities
10 MIN. READ
How Will Urban Mobility Change In The Post-Covid City
By Joe Appleton on Aug 11, 2020 10:30:00 AM
The Covid-19 pandemic has made a tremendous impact on people’s everyday lives. Changes to our regular routines have been coming in thick and fast, from mask-wearing protocol to social distancing etiquette. Of all these changes, how we move around and get from A to B has seen some of the most drastic changes.
Over the past few months, mobility has rapidly evolved into an entirely new beast. Faithful and reliable transport methods are being shunned in favour of new systems. Citizens are avoiding crowded trains and buses in favour of bicycles and e-scooters. As cities evolve to phase out car usage, improving air quality and the health of citizens, the Covid-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to overhaul urban mobility. But will these changes be here for good?
Topics:
Smart City
Smart Cities
Intelligent Mobility
Urban Mobility
Traffic Management
Mobility Solutions
e-Scooter
Bike-Sharing
Walkable
5 MIN. READ
5 Citizen Engagement Solutions That Smart Cities Should Know
By Jennifer Svedberg on Jun 29, 2020 9:30:00 AM
Civic engagement is not only essential for formal city planning processes, but it is at the core of digital urban transformation into smart and sustainable cities and communities. The most widely used ways of engaging citizens, town hall meetings and surveys (even with social media campaigns), leave citizen participation rates low and a majority of citizens in the dark about what is being done in their city.
Enabling citizens to provide opinions and feedback as well as to participate in decision making processes is the subject of this top list. Through new forms of urban governance and participation, cities and communities embrace the ability to collaborate with their citizens to co-create a better and smarter city for all.
Explore five leading citizen engagement solutions that aim to bridge the gap between local government, especially city planners, and citizens.
Topics:
Smart Government
Co-Creation
Citizen Participation
Civic Engagement
Citizen Sensing
Citizen Empowerment
Citizen Engagement
E-Governance
Civic Budget
Urban Governance
8 MIN. READ
COVID-19 and Rethinking Smart Waste Management
By Albert Mateu on Jun 19, 2020 10:42:23 AM
For the last two months, every day at 8 pm, I go out to the balcony and together with my neighbors, we clap for all of those that are in the trenches fighting against the covid-19: nurses, doctors, people working in elderly houses and hospital staff among others. This is the minimum that we, as a society, can do right now.
Unfortunately, this is perishable, and the history tell us that when a problem is over, we easily forget it. Now we have an opportunity to challenge the history: people, politicians, companies, the society, all of us we must change many things in an enduring way. We have to do it for us and for our descendants.
Smart Waste Management is one of the solutions for cities that can help us in the fight against the pandemic to reduce the infection risk and contribute to the health of residents.
Topics:
Waste Management
Waste Collection
Covid-19
Urban Waste Management
Municipal Waste Management
Pneumatic Waste Collection
PWC 4.0
IPWCA
Touchless Urban Services
Recycling
Waste Disposal
Pneumatic Waste Collection System
Smart Waste Management
Waste Handling
Public Urban Health
Solid Waste
MariMatic
4 MIN. READ
CityTech RUHR: The Bottrop & Gelsenkirchen Challenges
By Thomas Mueller on Apr 28, 2020 12:50:57 PM
With Germany's largest international smart city startup challenge, the Ruhr Metropolis - City of Cities - is calling start-ups from across the globe to apply and solve the real-world challenges of four cities: Bochum, Bottrop, Hagen and Gelsenkirchen through a paid pilot. The application deadline has been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic until May 3, 2020. In the following paragraphs, we will look more closely on the Bottrop and Gelsenkirchen challenges.
Topics:
Smart City Startup
Smart City Challenge
Blockchain
Incentives
Gelsenkirchen
CityTech Ruhr
Bottrop
Startup Challenge
Ruhr Metropolis
Schalke 04
Token
Retail
Economic Revitalization
City of Cities
Local Businesses
Community Development
City Center
Call for Better Cities
Local Shopping
Inner City
4 MIN. READ
CityTech RUHR: The Bochum & Hagen Challenges
By Thomas Mueller on Apr 9, 2020 5:04:30 PM
With Germany's largest international smart city startup challenge, the Ruhr Metropolis - City of Cities - is calling start-ups from across the globe to apply and solve the real-world challenges of four cities: Bochum, Bottrop, Hagen and Gelsenkirchen through a paid pilot. The application deadline has been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic until May 3, 2020.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Smart City Startup
Smart City Challenge
Building Information Modelling
Urban Mobility
Sustainable Urban Mobility
CityTech Ruhr
Startup Challenge
Ruhr Metropolis
Hagen
Bochum
Building Permit
City of Cities
Building Applications
Call for Better Cities
4 MIN. READ
6 Smart Lighting Solutions That Smart Cities Should Know
By Jennifer Svedberg on Mar 20, 2020 9:45:00 AM
Streetlights, as they are today, have been a cause of concern for how much energy they consume as well as how they have been adding to the light pollution in cities, burning brightly while no one is around. These are just a few of the concerns that some solution providers have been aiming to address with their Smart Lighting solutions. They aim to make cities feel more safe, make lights more efficient, poles multi-functional and push costs of maintenance and energy down among others in various ways.
Topics:
Smart Lighting
Public Safety
LED Lighting
Energy Efficiency
Smart Poles
IoT
Smart Street Lighting
Sensors
Lighting Control
Retrofitting
Lighting
Street Lights
Street Lighting
Intelligent Street Lights
Outdoor Lighting
Public Lighting
Energy Savings
Adaptive Lighting
Emission Reduction
Light Pollution
Street Light Control
4 MIN. READ
CityTech RUHR: Germany’s biggest smart city startup challenge launched
By Thomas Mueller on Mar 4, 2020 10:00:00 AM
CityTech RUHR invites startups from around the world to participate in Germany’s biggest smart city challenge. Four cities and their business partners seek innovative solutions for four different challenges and offer the opportunity to win paid pilot projects. Startups that want to participate can apply until May 3, 2020 (Deadline extended due to the COVID-19 situation) for one of the program’s challenges at: www.citytech.ruhr
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Smart City Startup
Smart City Challenge
Startup Competition
BIM
Blockchain
Mobility
Building Construction
Challenges
Smart City Startups
Data
Gelsenkirchen
CityTech Ruhr
Bottrop
Startup Challenge
Ruhr Metropolis
Hagen
Bochum
Schalke 04
Vonovia
Business Metropole Ruhr
Ruhr Area
Token
Building Permit
Retail
Economic Revitalization
City of Cities
Local Businesses
Building Applications
Local Crypto Coin
Community Development
Incentivize
City Center
Call for Better Cities
Economic Growth
4 MIN. READ
AcceliGOV - Apply for a Smart City Cyber Security Solution Pilot
By Thomas Mueller on Feb 20, 2020 5:44:42 PM
As the formidable threat of cyber security looms over the majority of the world’s municipal governments, Leading Cities launches AcceliGOV. This global competition offers municipalities around the world the chance to compete for a pre-paid pilot of a globally sourced, expert-vetted cyber security solution. Interested cities may complete a brief application found at AcceliGOV.com by March 31st . AcceliGOV was launched by Leading Cities CEO, Michael Lake, at the Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which featured over 1,200 government officials, private sector leaders, international organizations and other key stakeholders drawn from expert communities and academia.
Topics:
Technology
Leading Cities
AcceliCITY
Crime Prevention
Crime
Pilot Projects
Cyber Security
Protection
Blacksands
AcceliGOV
Global Cybersecurity Forum
Cyber Attacks
Hacker
Smart Cities CIO SUmmit
Cyber Crime
16 MIN. READ
Mobility as a Service: A Blueprint for Disruption?
By Jon Glasco on Jan 27, 2020 10:30:00 AM
In less than a decade, the concept known as mobility as a service (MaaS) has captured the imagination of visionaries and innovators throughout the global transport industry. As an opportunity with potential to transform the industry and reduce dependence on car ownership, MaaS evolved from an intriguing concept to early-stage reality (at least in terms of trials, pilot projects and embryonic services).
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Intelligent Mobility
Urban Mobility
MaaS
Mobility as a Service
Mobility Revolution
MaaS Global
Beamrz
Beeline
HERE Mobility
Masabi
Mibilleo
Moovel / REACH NOW
Sked Go / Trip Go
Uber
BMW-Daimler
Grab Taxi
Lyft
Moovit
Ubigo
Yandex Taxi
14 MIN. READ
E-Scooters: A Collision Between Innovation And Controversy
By Jon Glasco on Jan 12, 2020 1:04:30 PM
In their eagerness to create breakthrough technologies and disruptive platforms, innovators sometimes collide with an established (and perhaps ill-suited) regulatory and policy-making process. In a previous article on e-scooters, we reported that a strategy of "permissionless innovation" enabled app-activated e-scooter startups to gain a precarious foothold in urban mobility markets. However, these startups soon discovered that safety and regulatory issues - including the lack of regulations in most situations - led to controversial relations with cities and citizens. In this article, we cover recent experiences, lessons learned and thoughts on the need for collaborative solutions. For an overview of the e-scooter market and its dynamics, read our article E-Scooters: A Passing Fad or Smart Mobility?
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Last-Mile
Intelligent Mobility
Urban Mobility
Mobility
Future Mobility
Sustainable Urban Mobility
Sustainable Urban Development
Mobility Solutions
Micromobility
Sustainable Transport
e-Scooter
Mobility Revolution
e-Scooter Sharing
Electric Scooters
e-Mobility
Green Mobility
Emission-Free
CO2 Reduction
Kick Scooter
First Mile
Scooter-Sharing
Mobility Innovation
Shared Electric Scooter
15 MIN. READ
E-Scooters: A Passing Fad or Smart Mobility?
By Jon Glasco on Jan 3, 2020 12:29:28 AM
Electric scooters appeal to those who want to move quickly and easily through urban streets at low cost while avoiding congestion and solving first mile / last mile mobility problems. However, menacing clouds - in the form of safety, regulatory and business model issues - linger above the nascent e-scooter sharing market, raising questions about its future. A key question is whether cities can find ways for this new micro-mobility service to add value to sustainable urban mobility. In this article, we explore the e-scooter market and competitive dynamics and offer a perspective on smart city challenges. To learn about the lessons learned from the city perspective regarding the introduction of e-scooter sharing, please read our article E-Scooters: A Collision Between Innovation And Controversy.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Urban Mobility
Sustainable Urban Mobility
e-Scooter
e-Scooter Sharing
Micro-Mobility
Electric Scooters
e-Mobility
Green Mobility
Emission-Free
CO2 Reduction
Kick Scooter
Lyft
Tier
Bird
Spin
Circ
Scooter
Lime
Voi
Telepod
Free Now
3 MIN. READ
AcceliCITY Selects World’s Most Promising Smart City Startups
By Thomas Mueller on Sep 1, 2019 12:10:47 AM
In 2018, Leading Cities, a global nonprofit for Smart City growth and collaboration, launched AcceliCITY - a global Smart City startup competition that provides potential capital from a network of investors as well as the tools and knowledge of how to do business with cities. In this year’s edition 50 semi-finalists were selected from more than 500 applications from 43 countries. An international panel of Smart City experts judged each semi-finalist to select the 14 finalists that will gather in Boston (Sept. 30 - Oct. 4) for AcceliCITY’s Smart City Boot Camp.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Smart City Startup
bee smart city
Startup
Startup Accelerator
Leading Cities
AcceliCITY
Boston
Smart Water
3 MIN. READ
AcceliCITY offers paid pilot projects for smart city startups
By Thomas Mueller on Apr 25, 2019 12:01:36 AM
bee smart city partner Leading Cities is now accepting applications for its second edition of the AcceliCITY smart city startup accelerator. Last year’s inaugural edition of the contest worked with 27 semi-finalists selected from more than 550 applications from over 40 countries.
“The goal of the AcceliCITY program is to facilitate sustainable growth, resiliency and quality-of-life improvements for cities around the world by addressing the critical needs of Smart City startups,” says Michael Lake, President and CEO of Leading Cities. “These startups are developing the innovative solutions to municipal challenges in the 21st century.”.
AcceliCITY offers the chance for startups to secure what they need most - paid projects to build their portfolio and validate their solutions. This edition will focus on the challenges of smart water and smart mobility through pioneering partnerships with the cities of New Bedford, Massachusetts and Mount Pearl, Canada. In addition, all applicants will compete to be selected for fast-tracking to the Urban Resilience Challenge. Those selected will automatically advance to the semi-finalist stage and compete for a 1st Place prize of $75,000 and 2nd Place prize of $25,000.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart Government
Smart Mobility
Smart City Startup
Smart City
Startup Ecosystem
bee smart city
Smart Cities
Startup
Solutions
Startup Accelerator
Startup Competition
Competition
Accelerator
Leading Cities
Smart Water
Pilot Projects
5 MIN. READ
Cities in Motion: The Unintended Consequences of New Technology
By Mike Barlow and Cornelia Levy-Bencheton on Apr 8, 2019 3:57:22 PM
If the science fiction writers of the 1950s had been right, most of us today would travel around in flying cars and pneumatic trains. We would commute to work on high-speed moving sidewalks and zip across town in horizontal elevators. For short hops, we would wear personal jet packs or anti-gravity belts. Well, here we are in the early 21st century and we’re still waiting for buses, stuck in traffic jams and trying to walk across busy streets without being hit by a cab. Transportation has changed, but not in the ways predicted by science fiction. Many of the most important changes have been invisible.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Technology
Singapore
Smart City Technology
Urban Mobility
Transportation
New York City
Congestion
Smart City Projects
London
Texas
Cities in Motion
Ride-Sharing
Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System
Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique
Mobility Revolution
Transportation Projects
Milan
Congestion Pricing
Stockholm
9 MIN. READ
How Crowdsourcing and Incentives Improve Public Safety
By Jon Glasco on Mar 10, 2019 10:44:35 PM
When it comes to public safety, smart city leaders recognize the importance of engaging with citizens and encouraging them to report safety problems. In this article, we present a perspective on public safety — and focus on Vizsafe, a U.S. startup firm which discovered opportunities to incentivize citizens and improve safety by creating a platform which connects the power of crowdsourcing and smartphone technologies with a blockchain-based rewards system.
Topics:
Crowdsourcing
Public Safety
Citizen Participation
Blockchain
Municipal Government
Innovative Public Services
Innovative Technologies
Smart City Platform
Vizsafe
indoor mapping
Incentives
7 MIN. READ
Smart Education for Smart Cities: Visual, Collaborative & Interactive
By Jon Glasco on Feb 27, 2019 1:52:54 PM
Smart education is a key ingredient in smart city development. Strengths in basic education, advanced training and certification, universities and community colleges, e-learning infrastructure, lifelong learning and innovation in education technologies are all part of what defines a smart city. "For the citizens of a smart city to thrive, we must first place education at its center," according to Dr. I-Chang Tsai, Vice President and Director General of Digital Education, Institute for Information Industry in Taiwan. Smart cities recognize the need for "education programs producing graduates with modern knowledge, practical skills and collaborative attitudes."
Topics:
Smart People
Smart Education
Education Technology
Classroom Technology
Smart Education Solution
ViewSonic
myViewBoard
Interactive Learning
Classroom Media
Interactive Whiteboard
Immersive Learning
Digital Classroom
Teacher-Student Collaboration
Interactive Touch Display
ViewBoard
Touchscreen Display
Digital Education
6 MIN. READ
Smart Cities Are Influenced by the Past, Even as They Look Ahead to the Future
By Mike Barlow and Cornelia Levy-Bencheton on Feb 7, 2019 12:00:46 AM
When we think of smart cities, we tend to think in futuristic terms. We often use the language and iconography of futurism to express our visions of what a smart city should look like. But we should also look to the past for lessons and examples of how previous generations handled the challenges of planning and developing urban spaces.
Topics:
Smart Citizens
Smart City Innovation
Smart People
Urban Planning
Urban Innovation
Future Cities
Traffic Management
Smart Cities, Smart Future
Digital Technologies
Smart City Initiatives
New York City
Complete Streets
Vision Zero
10 MIN. READ
How Universities Add Value in Smart City Innovation
By Jon Glasco on Feb 4, 2019 1:00:00 AM
Urban innovators with smart city aspirations rely on university knowledge and resources when addressing complex issues. Through access to research and thought leadership on urban challenges, smart cities benefit from partnerships with universities.
The Changing Face of Urban Innovation
When contemplating the need for urban improvement, cities once looked for efficiency gains, cost savings, and incremental, low-risk innovation to enhance local government operations. Today, urban residents demand much more from city leaders. Wicked urban problems such as homelessness, lack of affordable housing, pollution, congestion, inequality, social and digital exclusion, and environmental threats require bold thinking and a new paradigm in public sector innovation - made possible through collaboration with universities.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart City Development
Innovation
Smart City
Smart City Innovation
Smart Cities
Urban Innovation
University Collaboration
partnership
Urban Challenges
Smart Solutions
Smart City Ecosystem
University
Smart University
Research Project
University Knowledge
Research
University Partnership
Thought Leadership
11 MIN. READ
Smart Mobility: Challenges and Solutions in Smart Cities
By Jon Glasco on Feb 1, 2019 12:09:48 AM
Urban mobility is described as the lifeblood of modern cities, a critical economic factor, and a facilitator of smart, sustainable development. Planning a smart city that delivers effective and equitable urban mobility solutions is one of the most pressing problems for cities throughout the world. In this article — the first in a planned series — we provide a perspective on urban mobility challenges and examples of smart urban mobility solutions.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart Mobility
Smart Parking
Intelligent Mobility
Urban Mobility
Traffic Management
Public Transport
Mobility Solutions
Moovel
TimesUpp
Parquery
eCooltra
PSIRoads
Mobility as a Service
Micromobility
Traffic Congestion
Transport Poverty Reduction
9 MIN. READ
From BIM to CIM: Why Building and City Information Modelling are Essential to Smart Cities
By Lily Maxwell on Nov 29, 2018 10:54:52 PM
Cities are both a key enabler of productivity and economic development, and essential to the social and political wellbeing of individuals and society, as the place that most people now call ‘home’.
However, there are many problems in cities that are inhibiting economic growth and social and environmental justice and equality. Traffic congestion is a huge problem worldwide and costs national economies billions of pounds each year. In the UK alone, traffic cost the economy £31bn in 2016. Poor housing conditions, leading to greater need for healthcare services, also put a huge strain not only on people’s lives but also on local and national healthcare systems. Growing populations and changing demographics - for example, an increasingly youthful population in many African cities, and an increasingly ageing population in much of Europe - is already beginning to put a lot of strain on public services and the built environment. The global housing crisis is just one expression of this.
The smart city concept is one reaction to the growing challenges that urban centers face - from environmental degradation, to increasing economic inequalities, to growing populations that overstrain and exhaust social and physical infrastructure - as it aims to improve the operational, service and energy efficiency of cities and render them better places to live for all.
Topics:
Smart Building
Smart Cities
Urban Planning
Real Estate
Construction
Building Information Modelling
City Information Modelling
City Infrastructure
Building Construction
3D Model
Urban Design Solutions
4 MIN. READ
Three AcceliCITY Smart City Startups Gain Global Exposure
By Thomas Mueller on Oct 30, 2018 1:27:44 AM
Earlier this year, bee smart city partner Leading Cities, a global network for Smart City growth and collaboration, has launched a global Smart City startup accelerator program that provides potential capital from a network of investors as well as the tools and knowledge of how to do business with cities. In this year’s edition 27 semi-finalists have been selected from more than 550 applications from over 40 countries. From this global pack of urban innovators, three startups emerged as AcceliCITY winners - one for each track of the AcceliCITY program (clean energy, city visualization and general tracks).
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart City Startup
bee smart city
Air Quality
Urban Innovation
Startup Accelerator
Leading Cities
AcceliCITY
Virtual Reality
Smart City Expo World Congress
Air Pollution
Partnership Program
Solu
PurCity
Sweden VR
Waste Collection
Visualization
11 MIN. READ
The Long Road to Urban Mobility Safety
By Jon Glasco on Aug 21, 2018 10:46:45 AM
The world of urban mobility is changing fast, and cities are grappling with the impact on safety. Growth in urban populations, combined with more cars, trucks and public transport vehicles (e.g. increasing last mile delivery) sharing crowded streets with vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), makes the task of providing safe mobility a complex challenge. The task is further complicated by unsafe driving behavior, demand for multimode transport options, the need for bicycle-friendly streets and the uncertain future of autonomous vehicles.
Road fatalities are increasing in many cities and comprised 37 percent of European road fatalities in 2017. Taking steps to improve the safety of urban mobility fosters quality of life and yields opportunities to deliver transport sustainability. This article provides a perspective on policies and innovation regarding urban mobility safety solutions for smart cities.
Topics:
Smart Mobility
Smart Lighting
Internet of Things (IoT)
Intelligent Mobility
Safety
Transport Options
Pedestrian Safety
Mobility Data
Safety Solutions
Urban Mobility
Mobility
Autonomous Vehicles
Bicycle-Friendly
Safe Mobility
Road Safety
Intersections
11 MIN. READ
Building Smarter: Smart Technologies for Design and Construction
By Lily Maxwell on Aug 7, 2018 1:11:04 AM
Smart city strategy, now moving into its ‘fourth generation’, is today increasingly focused on collaboratively determining community’s needs before implementing infrastructural and/or technological changes. With community empowerment at the forefront of smart city development, what ‘smartness’ means when it comes to building must be defined with (rather than for) the community in order to produce buildings that genuinely enable a higher quality of life and engender more sustainable lifestyles.
The smart city is also as much centered around stimulating cooperation as sustainability: this means capitalizing on the most innovative ‘smart’ technologies and processes to ensure that new infrastructure is built not only in the most collaborative, but also the most resource-efficient way too.
Topics:
Smart City
Smart Building
Smart Cities
Urban Planning
Real Estate
Construction
Smart Planning
BIM
Building Information Modelling
City Information Modelling
Virtual Reality
Digital Tools
CIM
Artificial Intelligence
Autonomous Robots
6 MIN. READ
Smart Buildings: Bio-Climatic Solutions for Building Ventilation
By Zigurat Global Institute of Technology on Jul 26, 2018 11:07:18 AM
A recurring theme in architecture and construction engineering is that of "sick buildings". In our eagerness to control all the parameters and internal and external conditions of our constructions, humanity has tended, increasingly, to make hermetic buildings, replete with electrical and electronic installations that give off electromagnetic waves and ions. Especially in offices we often find ourselves with spaces that are too cold and with a highly charged environment.
Here we will address how to alleviate the excess of electromagnetic charge and the lack of humidity in an environment, with the installation of Canadian or Provencal Wells, for the promotion of sustainable architecture.
Topics:
Sustainability
Smart Building
Built Environment
Building Technology
Real Estate
Zigurat
Sustainable Architecture
Canadian Wells
Provencal Wells
Building Ventilation
Bio-Climatic Solution
Construction
9 MIN. READ
Last Mile Delivery Solutions in Smart Cities and Communities
By Jon Glasco on Jul 19, 2018 2:33:00 PM
Innovation in last mile freight and parcel delivery solutions could yield significant benefits for cities by reducing traffic congestion in urban centers, improving public health by lessening greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and contributing to the success of sustainable urban economies.
What is Last Mile Delivery?
From a manufacturer's plant or warehouse or a supplier or retailer location, the last mile of delivery is the final stage in the shipping process, culminating with arrival of a package or goods at a customer's destination.
Last-mile delivery and associated services are provided by established freight transport companies, courier firms, independent drivers and couriers, click-and-collect retailers, self-service parcel lockers, and postal service destination hubs. Delivery vehicles in the last mile include diesel and gas-powered trucks and vans, electric trucks, pushcarts, pedal carts, bicycles and robotic vehicles (in pilot projects). Due to the steady growth of e-commerce, the number of delivery vehicles and the volume of deliveries and locations have dramatically increased. In addition, the market for urban delivery services is undergoing an evolution with independent drivers and new entrants competing with traditional courier firms.
Topics:
Delivery Solutions
Traffic Reduction
Freight Transport
Freight Corridor
Last-Mile Delivery
Last-Mile Logistics
Distribution Center
Urban Freight Transport
Autonomous Ground Vehicles
ImagineCargo
Cargohopper
2 MIN. READ
Launched: AcceliCITY - A New Smart City Startup Accelerator
By Thomas Mueller on Jul 4, 2018 10:34:44 PM
Boston-based Leading Cities has announced AcceliCITY, a global competition providing Smart City startups with access to international clients, capital from a global network of Smart City educated investors, and tools and knowledge in doing business with cities. The program bridges the gap between startups, cities, and businesses by providing select startups with access to Leading Cities’ proven track record of successful policy implementation, Smart City tools, and broad global network. bee smart city partners with AcceliCITY and Leading Cities to leverage its expertise and network to support Smart City startups.
Leading Cities and several partnering organizations - among them bee smart city - empower the AcceliCITY program to lower the cost of innovation for startups, cities, and corporations by streamlining the innovation and sales cycles for Smart City solutions. All partners provide access to an international network of mentors, investors, and decision-makers in city governments.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart Government
Smart City Startup
Smart City
Startup Ecosystem
bee smart city
Smart Cities
Startup
Solutions
Startup Accelerator
Startup Competition
Competition
Accelerator
Leading Cities
2 MIN. READ
Earth Observation & Copernicus Technologies and Solutions for User Applications Conference
By Thomas Mueller on Apr 12, 2018 2:07:54 AM
The international conference “Earth Observation & Copernicus Technologies and Solutions for User Applications“ will take place on April 19, 2018 in Bochum, Germany. You are cordially invited to take part. It will be held at the premises of the University of Applied Sciences Georg Agricola. The event is free of charge.
The conference will enable knowledge transfer between technology experts, service providers and manufacturers as well as users from selected application fields. In thematic workshops participants can exchange ideas on technology trends and project ideas, identify market demands and raise awareness towards the importance of Earth Observation and Copernicus technologies and their potential.
Topics:
Open Data
Smart City
Conference
B2B Matchmaking
Zenit
User Applications
Copernicus
Enterprise Europe Network
Earth Observation
Urban Monitoring
CopServ
8 MIN. READ
Benefits of Open Data for Smart Cities
By Lisa Smith on Dec 10, 2017 8:36:56 PM
Open data could help to accelerate the development of smart cities by connecting the people most capable of creating smart city solutions with the data needed to generate and support them.
What is Open Data?
An overwhelming amount of data is being generated by both public and private concerns on an ongoing basis. This data is stored beyond the reach of most people, secured in government or proprietary databases or on individual electronic devices. The types and the depth of this data is growing as new and increasingly technological solutions are implemented to solve the problems of the governments, businesses, and private citizens of smart cities.
The potential advantages of data collection on such a scale are beyond question. Data collection is the most laborious part of any investigation, and yet the majority of global data is going largely unseen and unused. Limiting the number of people who can access it necessarily limits the number of problems to which it can be applied and, in most cases, prevents access to the people best able to apply it.
The solution to this is to make the data publicly available via an open government approach: open data.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart Government
Collective Intelligence
Crowdsourcing
Open Data
Smart Economy
Smart City Challenge
Transparency
Open Government
Co-Creation
3 MIN. READ
Thinxtra launches Sigfox LPWA IoT Network for Smart City Hong Kong
By Thomas Mueller on Nov 5, 2017 11:51:50 PM
On the 1st of November, Sigfox's exclusive network operator Thinxtra showcased the start of its territory-wide low-power wide-area (LPWA) IoT network in Hong Kong, providing cost-effective IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity for the city.
Cost-Effective LPWA Network provides IoT Connectivity
Until March 2018, 100 Sigfox base stations are expected to be installed throughout Hong Kong to provide long-range, low-bandwidth, low-power connectivity for businesses, research institutions, and government organizations to seize opportunities of the rise of IoT.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Smart Living
Smart Government
Smart Environment
Smart Mobility
Waste Management
Broadband Connectivity
Technology
Smart Lighting
IoT applications
Best Practice Solutions
LPWA Network
Sigfox Network
4 MIN. READ
The Use of Crowdsourcing to accelerate Smart City Development
By Bart Gorynski on Sep 11, 2017 3:32:44 PM
The evolution of smart cities has shifted from technology-centered approaches via government-led strategies to a human-centric focus. We have discussed this recently in our article Towards a new paradigm of the smart city.
Considering the benefits of a human-centric approach, the question is how a city can tap into the collective intelligence of citizens, entrepreneurs, businesses or other organizations to accelerate the development of a more livable and prosperous city. Collective intelligence can be considered as a key success factor for a smart city (see A review of becoming a smart city).
Topics:
Smart City Strategy
Smart City Solutions
Smart Government
Collective Intelligence
Smart City Approach
Citizen Centricity
Smart City Startup
Best Practice Solutions
Crowdsourcing
Smart City Development
Open Data
4 MIN. READ
Multiple Benefits of Smart Street Lighting Solutions in Smart Cities
By Dr. Alexander Gelsin on Sep 11, 2017 3:24:17 PM
The role of smart lighting solutions in the intelligent transformation of cities and buildings has gained momentum in the past years. This development will continue in the coming years based on increased connectivity and industrial internet of things (IIoT) solutions becoming a key element in most smart city strategies around the globe.
The opportunities that cities can seize with the installation of smart lighting solutions go far beyond value creation through energy (cost) and maintenance savings (which are huge considering that as much as 40 percent of a city’s energy budget is consumed by street lighting and new efficient lighting can save up to 50% of these costs as a result of increased energy efficiency) or the improvement of the environmental impact.
Topics:
Public Spaces
Smart Environment
Smart Mobility
Urban Street
Broadband Connectivity
Energy
Smart Lighting
IoT applications
Public Safety
LED Lighting
3 MIN. READ
Smart Waste Management Solutions for Smart Cities
By Dr. Alexander Gelsin on Aug 31, 2017 10:41:50 AM
A growing number of cities around the globe are testing smart waste management solutions to create higher efficiency in terms of resources and costs associated with keeping their cities clean.
While equipping the bins of private households with latest sensor technology is tested only by a few cities (like Santander in Spain or Montreal in Canada), several cities start in public spaces with implementing smart waste management solutions.
The installation of smart solar-powered compacting bins can be observed in a growing number of cities (Amsterdam, Atlanta, London, Melbourne, Philadelphia, and others).
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Public Spaces
Smart Environment
Urban Street
Waste Management
Broadband Connectivity
Energy
Recycling Solutions
Smart Bin
Self-Powered
3 MIN. READ
Smart Urban Street Furniture Solutions in Smart Cities
By Thomas Mueller on Aug 31, 2017 10:28:21 AM
Self-powered smart urban street furniture can help cities and communities to increase the attractivity of public spaces by providing public services, information, and connectivity, while at the same time enabling the collection of valuable data for optimizing processes and reducing costs.
Cities are increasingly adopting smart street furniture solutions
Whether we talk about digital signs, smart benches or even fully-integrated smart bus stops – there are a lot of new products available in terms of smart urban street furniture. A growing number of cities and communities throughout the world are adopting these self-powered products to make life easier for citizens and visitors and to optimize the management of public infrastructure or to provide connectivity such as free WiFi.
Topics:
Smart City Solutions
Public Spaces
Smart Living
Smart Government
Smart Environment
Smart Mobility
Urban Street
Broadband Connectivity
Energy
Transit
Smart City Startup
Self-Powered
Smart Street Furniture
Digital Signage
Digital Kiosks
Smart Bench
Smart Busstop