Smart Cities

Mayor Melinda Barrett has discussed with the City Council taking maximum advantage of the state act signed last month. It includes $100 million for artificial intelligence research and $500 million for life sciences.

Three projects in early stages could bring hundreds of high-paying jobs to the northwest Indiana town. Construction of 1,000 housing units at Liberty Estates is now underway, and could provide housing for employees.

The Ross Town Council approved a pilot to install eight motion-activated cameras that photograph license plates. Personal identifying information will not be recorded. It’s estimated a system will cost $25,200 to lease in the first year.

City aldermen voted to hire Massachusetts-based International Data Corporation Research to help develop a plan and strategy for handling generative artificial intelligence. The process is estimated to take a year.

One Kentucky city is proving that generative AI projects are within reach for even small municipalities. At a cost of less than $200, Covington has launched a quirky LLM-powered chatbot to boost economic development.

The sheriff in the state’s most populous county hopes lawmakers can be persuaded to let authorities deploy traffic cameras to tamp down speeding and running red lights — and reduce fatal and injury crashes.

Streetlamps in Rumford, Maine, shine with 5G wireless connectivity, strengthening the community’s communications system. A public-private partnership has enabled officials to use the lights as wireless communication nodes.

Artificial intelligence is poised to become the next big energy hog and data centers stand to challenge sustainability goals. Some processing demands, however, can be shifted to periods when demand is low.

Traffic signal priority tech along with dedicated bus lanes is speeding up travel times, making them competitive with personal cars. It’s not a silver bullet, a transit priority director said, but “is a critical component of our program.”

The concept of a “smart city” or “connected community” has been around for decades, but experts argue the meaning of the term, and the expectations around it, have changed in recent years. Residential input remains vital, city leaders explain.

A Populus survey of city transportation officials about curb and parking oversight shows their desire for better data analytics. Munis are confronting other challenges too, including managing deliveries and maintaining data sets.

The City Council has approved buying software and equipment to underpin an online portal capable of tracking water use daily or hourly. It could help residents who use it spot leaks and call out emergencies.

Part of a “regional transportation hub,” the new center also features a STEM center for young adults. The complex, which showcases a library, houses what is believed to be the nation’s largest public EV charging station.

A City Council committee will consider next week a new contract with the company that provides the gunshot-detecting tech. Chicago and Seattle have moved away from it, and Houston's mayor has indicated he wants the city to drop it.

Per capita broadband infrastructure funding is highest in rural states, a new report finds, even though the digital divide exists in all areas. Reviews.org examines funding states are receiving from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

The result of a legislative overhaul, the move by the state transportation department impacts many, but not all, local traffic cameras. A new law requires the cameras be permitted.

City officials will begin working to forecast pothole hot spots in order to find and fill holes that have gone unreported. An audit last spring recommended using mapping software to reduce the distances between pothole jobs; the city will explore it.

At the midpoint of smart curb projects, city transportation leaders across the country are reflecting on the broader impacts this work can have — and how they might unlock progress in the future.