Cities are at an inflection point. We are managing 21st-century, digital-first resident expectations with infrastructure that is often struggling to keep pace. For years, “smart city” initiatives focused on isolated projects—sensors here, a traffic app there. But this fragmented approach creates a “digital deficit” that hinders coordination and leaves infrastructure exposed.
The cost of maintaining these legacy systems is no longer just a budget line item—it’s a systemic risk to urban resilience.
What’s needed is a shift: moving from isolated projects to a Digital Nervous System. At Cisco, we define this as a secure, scalable, and resilient network that connects people, infrastructure, and applications. By unifying these layers, city leaders can finally move from reacting to issues after they occur to becoming proactive and data-driven in how they manage services.
Digitizing the Right of Way
One area where this approach is gaining momentum is Right-of-Way (RoW) management. Roads, utilities, and public spaces are the city’s most valuable assets, yet they are often overseen through manual, disconnected processes.
By digitizing these assets, cities gain the visibility needed for better planning and more efficient maintenance. A prime example is the City of Coral Gables, which is transforming over 270 miles of roadway into a digital asset, allowing leaders to make informed, real-time infrastructure decisions.
Continue the Conversation at Tomorrow.City
These ideas will be front and center at Tomorrow.City, where leaders will gather to explore the future of urban infrastructure.
On April 14 from 10:40-11:10 AM, I’ll be hosting a session on the Digitization of the Right of Way, joined by Raimundo Rodulfo, CIO of the City of Coral Gables, and Herb Sih from Pioneer Partners. We’ll discuss how to modernize infrastructure to support safer roads and future-ready communities.
If you’re attending, I invite you to join our session or stop by the Cisco booth. I’d love to hear how your city is tackling the “digital deficit” and discuss the frameworks that are helping leaders in Coral Gables and beyond bridge that gap.
