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By
Tara
Seals
Urban
Renewal
INTERNATIONAL AGENTs
SECTION
Smart Cities Light Up New Frontiers of Opportunity
T
he era of smart cities is upon us. Think
smart lightbulbs, smart thermostats, HD
video surveillance for law enforcement
with facial recognition, autonomous park-
ing meters and self-driving cars, automatic
trash collection and more. And channel partners
have a potentially large role to play in this rapidly
growing market.
Municipalities around the globe are looking to
use integrated information and communications tech-
nology (ICT) systems to better support an exploding
population, improve efficiency, manage complexity
and enhance revenue generation, leading to sustain-
able improvement in city operations and the meeting
of environmental goals – not to mention more posi-
tive living for citizens.
Barcelona, for instance, widely considered the No.
1 smart city in the world, has installed noise and air
quality sensors along one of its major thoroughfares,
and has implemented smart streetlights, smart
parking and smartphone apps for tourists to use to
navigate the city’s sights. At the city’s Llevant Beach,
there are 22 self-powered lighting units, including six
that rely on solar and wind power. The wind-powered
units can function when wind speed is relatively slow,
storing up enough energy to operate as long as six
days without pulling electricity from the grid.
Barcelona may lead the way, but things are get-
ting underway with pilot programs developing world-
wide. In 2014, Singapore launched its Smart Nation
vision, and in September 2015 the White House
announced an investment package of $160 million
to stimulate smart city growth in the United States.
The EU meanwhile has the “Lighthouse” project,
which has designated Barcelona, Stockholm and
Cologne, Germany, as pioneer cities that will provide
success blueprints for replication to other towns
and cities across Europe.
“National government support and funding pack-
ages are very important to encourage the growth of
smart cities, as most municipal governments do not
have generous budgets to make large investments in
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Channel
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September - October, 2016