Smart Cities

The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone in Fort Worth is becoming a center for developing next-gen transportation technologies. It’s situated near an interstate, rail lines and an air cargo hub.

City councilmembers in Aurora, Ill., this week approved spending nearly $1.4 million to grow the network to additional parts of its water system. The work will wrap an accelerated fiber expansion to water locations begun in 2022.

The city will explore using GPS technology from LYT to give green lights to emergency vehicles. The initiative, at a dozen intersections, will preserve its existing, optical-based system and compare their performance.

The City Council has given its first approval to appropriating public safety tax funds to build the facility, estimated to cost $2.3 million plus roughly $700,000 in annual operating costs. A second reading of the appropriation is set for April 2.

After two years as the Tennessee city’s tech leader, Tyson Morris will pursue other opportunities. He said Friday he is committed to continuing his work using technology to help people.

The purchase, approved by the Duluth City Council, will pay for a Mini-Caliber SWAT robot capable of breaking windows and climbing stairs. It is not armed or otherwise weaponized but can make smoke.

The federal grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will pay for a project to increase safety in the downtown Fremont Street area, including using AI to adjust traffic signals and the timing of crossing flashers.

The Avon Lake, Ohio, Public Library’s app is back online after problems with its service provider were addressed. The issue impacted multiple library district applications nationwide, a communications manager said.

The refreshed metrics dashboard offers more insights into vacation rental compliance and tourism metrics. It lets officials get a sense of where travelers hail from and how much they’re spending — but also which properties may not conform.

Collaborations among transit agencies, research universities and big tech companies like Google are using AI and cloud computing to harness tech for operational efficiency. Projects aim for regional benefits.

The shuttle, which operated in downtown, was taken out of service after a crash Nov. 4. A review determined human error prompted it to move into the path of another bus. Test runs restarted Tuesday.

Two years in, officials are calling San Francisco’s Text Before Tow program — which lets residents sign up to get a text if their car is about to be towed — a success. Only 130 texts have gone out to participants, but more than half resulted in a vehicle being saved from an impending tow.

A $6.7 million grant from the California Air Resources Board will fund implementation of El Monte’s Clean Mobility Nexus and enable purchase of electric buses and charging systems, as well as vehicles.

The Kettering Police Department, outside Dayton, Ohio, will dramatically increase its use of automated license plate readers this year. Capacity is expected to rise by 300 percent.

The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system has worn a bull's-eye among progressives in Chicago for years, and now Mayor Brandon Johnson says he will make good on his campaign promise to get rid of the technology.

A New Hampshire city joins a growing list of local governments that are turning over some of the more time-intensive tasks of planning operations to artificial intelligence technologies.

The 2024 Government Innovation Challenge and Pitchfest puts gov tech startups in touch with potential local government partners to address pressing public-sector issues. The event will be held in Kansas City, Mo., on April 30.

Tools like smart streetlights help cities understand what's going on at the ground level, but as solutions advance, officials say they should be easy to stand up and keep public privacy top of mind.