Smart Cities

Tech leaders from the public sector gathered for the virtual NVIDIA conference to discuss how automation and other technologies are being used to improve roadway safety and traffic efficiencies.

Snowplows in Syracuse, N.Y., have been equipped with fleet management technology from Samsara to improve snow removal operations and give residents a real-time picture of the city’s street conditions.

From chatbots to traffic management to garbage pickup, two Oracle leaders chart how artificial intelligence is already beginning to show promise in transforming and improving the business of government.

Transportation nodes serving as the meeting point for various transportation types are helping to accommodate the many mobility needs of city residents. They also serve as opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate.

Fremont, a city in California’s Bay Area, is undertaking an upgrade of traffic signals along a busy street there to give priority to emergency vehicles and make travel safer for all users.

Houston, Texas, has started deploying digital kiosks throughout the city. In addition to offering wayfinding services and municipal resources to residents and visitors, they also serve as Internet connectivity hubs.

With the help of video game software developer Unity, the Orlando Economic Partnership is creating an interactive 3D map of the entire Orlando, Fla., region to show to companies who may want to locate in the area.

The city is partnering with a digital services technology provider to advance online and contactless services related to building applications, documents and even inspections with the planning office.

Norman was first named acting city CIO in 2020, following the departure of Santiago Garces. Her nomination by Mayor Ed Gainey to serve permanently will need to be approved by the City Council.

All city technology agencies will now operate under the Office of Technology and Innovation, overseen by Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. Fraser took over the CTO position earlier this month.

Roughly half the funding from the federal infrastructure package will be dispersed through the U.S. Department of Transportation, handing the agency a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink the U.S. transportation system.

A new report by Otonomo took a look at how cities and states are (or aren't, more accurately) using connected vehicle data, finding that only a small fraction of transportation organizations use this data.

Waze, a navigation app owned by Google, has partnered with Norfolk, Va., to pilot an app that will allow drivers to get real-time information about flooded roads. The alert system was set up Monday.

Peoria, Ariz., has launched an autonomous shuttle pilot project in a medical district as an extension of the local transit service. The project will help officials gauge the public’s comfort level with the emerging tech.

Josh Cohen, host of The Movement podcast, shared some thoughts about Pittsburgh’s experiment with “universal basic mobility” in a new demonstration project to ease barriers to all forms of mobility.

At a summit earlier this month, experts explored policy questions around electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In general, policymakers should look at all levels of charging to serve as many EV use cases as possible.

Newly released research points to the need to both electrify the transportation sector and make cities less car dependent if there’s any hope of curtailing the worst effects of climate change.

At a recent Urbanism Next panel discussion, city officials from Boston and Minneapolis discussed mobility hub pilot projects, underscoring how hub locations can also serve as crucial community gathering spots.