11 Smart Cities You Didn’t Know About
Though smart city initiatives are global, a handful of them receives the bulk of attention. Here are several that also deserve praise.
September 27, 2016
![Cities across the world are embracing the notion of smart cities. Cities across the world are embracing the notion of smart cities.](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt31d6b0704ba96e9d/blt5d6d33a319c4fa63/63abed6c92c8bc70337b46ed/futuristic-smart-city-4.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
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The top smart city in Latin America according to the Spanish business school IESE Business School, Santiago includes the usual plans to install smart lighting and smart grid technology in municipal buildings. But the city is also investing in earthquake-detection technology that can automatically sense and shut down the grid in the event of an earthquake. The city has installed in smart parking technology.
The capital of Indonesia’s West Java province is undergoing a transformation under the guidance of Mayor Ridwan Kamil. Last year, Kamil installed roughly 5000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the city. The city plans on installing a total as high as 40,000. An enthusiastic supporter of smart city projects, Kamil has helped organize a Smart City Council with 30 staff members. He is also investing $7.3 million this year to expand Bandung’s digital infrastructure. It also is developing a smart card to transition to a cashless society.
The birthplace of Skype, Talinn became the first capital in the European Union to offer free public transport to its citizens in 2013. One of the most technologically advanced cities in Europe, Tallinn has also been selected as one of the world’s smartest cities by the Intelligent Community Forum. An array of smart cities projects are on display in Tallinn, including smart building and energy technology.
One of the leading smart cities in Africa, Johannesburg is a pioneer in e-government initiatives designed to cut down on waste. The city has also implemented load-limiting smart meters that enable utilities to improve their monitoring of the grid. The city also debuted a public transit system known as REA VAYA that supports cashless payments. It is also investing in infrastructure, forming a municipal-owned organization to manage its growing fiber network.
One of the first thrusts of Warsaw’s smart city initiatives in energy efficiency. The city also is working to upgrade its public transit, grid, and wireless infrastructure. Warsaw has debuted eCard projects to allow cashless payments for everything from public transportation to museums, libraries, and gyms. The city also offers ePayments for traffic tickets, taxes, and parking fines.
While some smart city initiatives focus on infrastructure, Tel Aviv’s puts residents at the center. At the heart of its smart city implementation is DigiTel, a public-facing government app that provides a central hub to citizens who need to interact with municipal departments. The app also pushes information out to citizens based on their location and preferences. It warns them of traffic delays caused by road construction and informs them of the location of the nearest bike-sharing station.
Not long ago, Medellín was known for its drug trade and violence. Now, the city is one of the top smart cities in Latin America. In 2013, Citi, the Wall Street Journal, and the Urban Land Institute named Medellín as “Innovative City of the Year.” This year, the city won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Under the city’s smart city initiative, the city has launched free Internet zones, a community engagement platform known as Mi-Medellín, and a smart mobility system that has lowered the number of automobile accidents. The city also launched an early warning system for disasters and installed infrastructure for monitoring noise and air quality.
The city has debuted an open data policy to enable citizens to share data from the city and hosts a hackathon to spur innovative uses of this data. It has also launched an operations center to monitor air quality and noise. The city has won several awards for its municipal projects from the likes of ABSL, ASPIRE, European Outsourcing Association, and the 6 Baltic Sea Wonders Award in 2012.
One of the smartest cities in Europe according to New Economy, Vilnius has invested heavily in technology. It has some of the fastest internet in the world. It has developed an e-participation program, smart lighting, and has been continuously upgrading its traffic monitoring network.
Argentina’s Flood-prone capital has installed a digitized drainage system that will avoid many of the drainage problems that has plagued the city throughout its history. If sensors near the river detect that part of the waterway is blocked, city workers can help clear debris to prevent flooding. Buenos Aires has also upgraded 91,000 of its streetlights to LEDs with sensors to monitor consumption and track performance. It has plans to digitize its security and transportation network. The city was a 2015 Smart City Expo World Smart City Finalist.
The city of Sofia has invested heavily in installing high-speed Internet to support its burgeoning “outsourcing” business. It is also giving its citizens electronic access to 50 of the most commonly used municipal services. Sofia is in the process of implementing smart technologies for its economy, mobility, and environment.
The city of Sofia has invested heavily in installing high-speed Internet to support its burgeoning “outsourcing” business. It is also giving its citizens electronic access to 50 of the most commonly used municipal services. Sofia is in the process of implementing smart technologies for its economy, mobility, and environment.
Smart city initiatives in major metropolitan areas in Europe and Asia seem to get the most recognition. Sure, sometimes a North American city like New York, Chicago, or Toronto gets mentioned in smart city contexts, but not nearly as often as, say Singapore, London, Tokyo, or Barcelona. But one of the themes of the Smart Cities, Regions & Communities guide from the U.S. Department of Commerce is that smart cities are truly global.
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