Cities struggle to launch and fund smart projects that have the necessary components citizens want. The solution to both concerns can be found in an old piece of technology that has been repurposed for today’s needs.
Over the past five years, “smart cities” have become a consistent talking point in hundreds of state-of-the-city addresses. Each one has a unique mayoral vision, but all share a common trait: every mayor is convinced that their community can be a smart city.
Goals include improved service delivery for residents or more efficient public safety, better mobility and streamlined internal operations. Typical elements of a smart city frequently include Wi-Fi, information kiosks and data analysis. Obstacles almost always include problems with funding, or access to critical infrastructure such as light poles (when owned by a utility) or complex public right-of-way policies. But there’s an unlikely solution that enables smart city designers to address both the goals and obstacles they face while allowing the city to maintain control of the pace and pathway of becoming smart: kiosks.
Kiosks now operate in several communities, but they are not widespread yet. In many jurisdictions, they are found in airports, bus shelters or at entertainment venues. In these environments, the kiosks do not stand out as a gimmick; they are a logical evolution of a space that includes today’s latest technology.
Based on data from current deployments, city leaders can draw some useful lessons, laying the groundwork for kiosks and the leading role they can play in solving the challenges for smart city development in many communities, especially mid-size and smaller cities. Here’s what we know:
Given the opportunity for kiosks to meet many of the needs for today’s city planners, it’s worth exploring different funding opportunities as they become available. These financing proposals are not difficult to coordinate when compared to other approaches, such as a massive bond issue or reallocating resources from the police department to a new bureaucratic organization like an innovation office or an enhanced IT department. Funding options include:
There is no simple on-ramp for smart city projects, but kiosks are an elegant, easy-to-manage and simple-to-fund solution for communities. This is especially true for mid-size and smaller cities. Many residents in these communities are ready for the benefits generated by smart technology, but the city may not own the light poles or other resources required to install Wi-Fi access points or other infrastructure, and they frequently can’t afford another contract to purchase the analytics they desire.
Kiosks can act as that bridge to smart city benefits. Their versatility allows a city to design how the infrastructure is deployed, and they can generate ad revenue to overcome any funding concerns. Kiosks are a way to help city leaders meet the demands of today’s digitally savvy citizens, and they provide a great example of progress for residents when it comes time to write that annual state of the city speech.
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