Smart Cities Council

Looking to accelerate your community’s resilience? Join the Smart Cities Council Global Resiliency Network

09/30/2019

All over the world, resiliency is moving to the top of the urban agenda. In response, the Smart Cities Council is partnering with leading organizations and governments to form a global network to accelerate community resilience. Individuals, agencies and organizations who would like access to tools and best practices can register their interest at https://resiliencynetwork.global.

Looking back: our top 5 news stories from 2018

12/30/2018

Year's end has traditionally been a time to reflect on the important events and issues that emerged over the preceding 12 months — and how they could influence what we do in the year ahead. For that reason, we're sharing the five most widely-read news stories the Council published in 2018.

How Karlsruhe, Germany is tackling transportation challenges

12/09/2018

Karlsruhe, the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg, has had a three-prong plan in place since 2012. Working together with the administration, public and relevant companies, Karlsruhe developed the framework for a sustainable urban mobility system that not only highlights transportation development, it also ensures equal mobility opportunities for everyone in the city.

Is your city building rental housing? Better make it green

07/19/2018

When we talk about green buildings what usually comes to mind is commercial property like office buildings or retail. But cities involved in providing multifamily housing should be aware of a growing trend: renters want their homes to be green, too.

Higher-density cities are coming, from Sydney to Seattle. Can they be healthier cities, too?

05/02/2018

With city populations growing quickly, higher-density development is inevitable. But how do we ensure those high-density environments are healthy places to live and work? Read on to learn about a group of researchers determined to get the answers to that question.

Best way to reduce chronic homelessness? Intervene early

04/25/2018

When we typically think of the homeless, we think of people who’ve been on the streets for years. But many of Los Angeles’s homeless are newly homeless. And providing more early help could sharply reduce chronic homelessness.

From apps to arms to spendy cleanups: Is there a right way to handle homeless camps?

07/25/2017

Homeless camps have grown 30% in Oakland in the last two years. They're growing in Honolulu too, prompting one councilman to propose armed park rangers to keep public spaces safe. Is that the solution? Are there better ones? Learn what cities from Anchorage to Sydney are doing.

Facial recognition, DNA matching help reunite China's homeless with their families

07/16/2017

Shanghai Rescue Station uses advanced technologies to help locate the families of the homeless and mentally ill people it rescues every year, including seniors and children. And it's working; read how DNA testing helped reunite a daughter with her 70-year-old father after he'd been missing 20 years.

$1 million Toyota impact grant promotes upward mobility for homeless women and children

07/12/2017

Many large companies are locating in Collin County, Texas and thousands of new homes are being built there. Yet approximately 3,000 women in the county experience homelessness; many of them have children. Read how a new nonprofit collaborative, aided by a $1 million grant, aims to help them.

New initiatives take on youth homelessness. Will they help?

07/10/2017

As the number of young people without stable housing grows to crisis levels in many parts of the world, efforts to intervene multiply. Boston public schools will have homeless liaisons. Social Benefit Bonds are funding a pilot in Queensland. Even the private sector is stepping up.

Shelter