Smart Cities

Digital technology helps large public universities manage thousands of parking spaces and permits. Data collected can help quantify their needs, and how best to control the available spots.

Waymo is set to come to Nashville next year, and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said he sees his own city, where university researchers are working on smart street technology, as a good place to test autonomous driving.

The city of Brownsville, Texas, was given that designation in 2014. Since then, officials have made investments to change its status, including supporting the deployment of a fiber network.

The Akron suburb is upgrading a major corridor with technology to increase communication among vehicles and travelers, and give special priority to emergency vehicles, transit buses and snowplows.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Southwest Research Institute will develop a Transportation System Management and Operations data exchange platform, to improve coordination on regional mobility.

The Urban Land Institute is partnering with cities and a university in California and Nevada in a one-year program to develop policies and programs around extreme heat mitigation and planning.

The Sacramento-area city has plans to transition its fleet of 1,000 city vehicles and more than 40 buses to electric by 2040. A digital twin is helping leaders learn more about how their conveyances are used.

“Smart cities” were just the start. Now, as technology evolves and new threats — wildfires, hurricanes, cyber attacks — mount, system interoperability is the answer for cities that are resilient, equitable and adaptable.

Staffers in Bellevue, Wash., are using a new tool with artificial intelligence to handle certain tasks, including responding to resident inquiries. The pilot is now focused on “real-world scenarios.”

In a new pilot, officials will use a city vehicle with two cameras and software with AI to photograph properties. Inspectors will follow up on addresses with visible problems like graffiti or tall grass.

Municipalities across the United States are leveraging technology in their signs, from kiosks to birdwatching, to make local government communications more interactive — and, officials hope, more engaging.

A project to analyze flooding in south Chicago will eventually consist of about 50 sensors transmitting data in real time for analysts and emergency responders.

The devices, powered by artificial intelligence, are intended to identify items in residential recycling bins that should not be there. Images with faces or license plates will automatically be blurred.

The City Council postponed to September a vote that would install cameras with artificial intelligence on garbage trucks, to search out blight. Areas of concern included cost amid budget tightening, and privacy.

From traffic management to smart trash cans, Raleigh, N.C., is quickly moving to introduce artificial intelligence tools into smart city platforms and projects.

Officials affirmed an expanded contract with Alabama Power to add the devices and license plate readers to power poles citywide. A federal grant to upgrade IT systems and cybersecurity will cover early costs.

Toll road systems are modernizing with seamless payment portals and other forms of tech, enabling new options to make controlling congestion easy — and generate revenue other ways, as gas taxes decline.

A new GIS-powered state planning tool brings together more than 100 data sets to offer officials and members of the public a detailed look at where electric vehicle charging exists, is already planned, and may be needed.