As world leaders ponder how to meet the growing demand for energy and resources, while reducing global carbon emissions, cities are challenged even further. The exponential growth of cities has resulted in enormous urban challenges: scarcity of resources; skyrocketing passenger, cargo, and digital traffic; and outdated and overloaded infrastructures.
The continued expansion of the Internet and our society’s increased connectivity seemingly amplify these urban challenges. However, Cisco and Schneider Electric see an opportunity to create a new future for cities, and they are already making cities more efficient and connected today.
The key is transforming a city from the inside out:
- Developing an efficient infrastructure for the utilities network, transportation systems, buildings, and public services.
- Adding connectivity to integrate these efficiency solutions, and including people in the social conversation.
- Reducing carbon emissions and environmental consequences of urban life to ensure sustainability.
This transformation requires that the city’s operating systems, such as utilities and transportation, function with optimal efficiency, allowing data collection for operations optimization. In order to solve the “pain points” that negatively affect city residents (such as power outages), it is critical to optimize each individual system, as well as the overall structure and connections among systems. Efficient integrated operating systems that create connections will improve services, offer better information sharing, and enhance a city’s sustainability and livability, transforming it into a Smart City.
Tags: Cisco, city services, city systems, collaborate, connectivity, efficient, IBSG, infrastructure, integration, Schneider Electric, smart, sustainable, urban life
