Looking for a way to improve city infrastructure while reducing air pollution? Carsharing may be the solution. Smart Car sharing companies like Germany-based car2go are not only removing up to 11 vehicles for every car used, they're also saving up to 14 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases per vehicle. Germany alone has built up a smart car customer base of over 1 million people since car2go launched back in 2009.
Seen as the “smart city evolution,” Mantua has dubbed itself Italy’s first “Phygital City,” connecting physical and digital experiences residents can have. So what does this mean exactly? The 2016 Italian Capital of Culture, with the help of fabbricadigitale (the Italian IT company behind Telecom Italia’s digital experience at the Expo 2015), is working with big data-based, advanced machine learning technologies that can analyse smart city information in real time.
How we experience the city, how we access information, how we manage our city’s assets and how we deliver services to the community is about to change thanks to mobile augmented reality. We spoke with the CEO of Council Partner CivicConnect, which has been pioneering a mobile AR platform to understand what's next for the urban experience.
Some Council’s in Australia have more certainty today about their future smart cities journey, as the first funded projects under the government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs program was announced yesterday.
Two major companies are teaming up to develop a project that could help as many as 8.5 million drivers on the road. The joint venture between BMW and IBM will deliver a cloud-based data management system as part of a new connected car initiative, all based on real-time performance.
The city has been strategic in its use of digital technologies to improve urban, health and governmental services, as well as the daily lives of its 76,000 citizens. By making it a priority to engage actively and effectively with citizens, Trikala has managed to deliver a number of sustainable initiatives and services, serving as a 21st century model for other cities across Greece to follow.
Shared mobility may still be in its early stages, but this is one trend that could have a major impact not only on the automotive industry, but also on cities themselves. Shared mobility is predicted to only partially replace car ownership, but by 2030, this part could equal up to a third of vehicle sales. Europe currently ranks third in the market in terms of shared mobility, with the challenge of lacking a “one-size-fits-all” model, since each city has its own regulations.
Since 2009, Portugal has aimed to be a leader in terms of electric mobility, developing new energy models for sustainability. One city in particular, Évora, the capital of Portugal’s south-central Alentejo region, served as the first pilot project for smart city development. In 2010, InovCity Évora kicked off, showing both Portugal and the world real-life examples of energy efficiency, micro generation and electrical mobility. (article available in Portuguese)
Desde 2009 que Portugal tem como objetivo ser um líder em termos de mobilidade elétrica, ao desenvolver novos modelos de energia para a sustentabilidade. Uma cidade, em particular, Évora, capital do Distrito de Évora, na região do Alentejo e sub-região do Alentejo Central, serviu como o primeiro projeto-piloto para o desenvolvimento da cidade inteligente.
Smart projects typically inspire urban visions: connected skyrises, autonomous vehicles, high-tech transport. And while these are important elements to consider when it comes to urban planning for a city, there’s also a side that can benefit from smart solutions—nature. Islands such as Menorca in the Spanish Balearic archipelago are looking to smart ways to “reduce human pressure and environmental impact.” (article available in Spanish)