Smart Cities Viewpoints

The Smart City Implementation Paradox describes the situation that the Smart City ecosystem finds in widely divergent situations worldwide. In short, while there is a plethora of very compelling applications, many with very short financial paybacks – the adoption rate of these solutions has been increasing however at a rate that is far below even the most conservative forecasts. One approach to surmount this obstacle is to have a much better, very comprehensive understanding of the communities that drive the decision-making – or decision-delaying, along with their underlying user needs.

The smart cities team at ARC will be conducting a series of webinars with the IEEE exploring various topics related to smart cities, buildings, and infrastructure.  The first of these is coming up soon, Tuesday, September 10, 2019, at 11 AM Eastern Time and will feature the head of our smart cities practice, Jim Fazer.  Jim will talk about the process of building smart cities with the IEEE Smart City Planning and Technology Standard P2784.  Upcoming sessions focus on energy, cybersecurity, electric vehicles, lighting, software platforms, and much more

ARC Advisory Group has been writing about the compelling case for fleet electrification over the last year including here, here, and here. In short, companies are starting to turn to electric powertrains to avoid the various pitfalls of diesel (and gasoline for lighter-duty vehicles)

Vehicle Autonomy has some parallels with industrial control and safety systems, but also some big differences.

Smart cities and critical infrastructure both face major cybersecurity-related challenges.  Today’s rapid adoption of IoT technologies, the convergence of IT and OT environments, drive toward ubiquitous connectivity, and resource constraints are all major challenges when it comes to implementing a good cybersecurity program for smart cities and infrastructure.  The 2019 ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida featured a dedicated track on smart cities and infrastructure.  Here, end-users shared their experiences in justifying and implementing smart building cybersecurity.    

To meet climate goals, nations will need to reduce power gen emissions by both increasing energy efficiency and developing renewable energy resources.  Community solar technology can help get us closer to this goal.  

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an effective technology for automatic equipment identification that can greatly enhance information visibility and availability. It is the leading automatic identification technology used in the transportation industry. 

When selecting a street lighting network, smart cities should weigh affordability with current and future needs when selecting a network type.

At the 2019 ARC Industry & City Forum in Orlando, I chaired an illuminating session on the future of the parking industry. I was joined by leaders from SP+, CloudParc, and Walker Consultants to discuss trends and trajectories in the space. Speakers shared their perspectives and experiences in the industry and joined a panel discussion, which concluded with audience questions.

At the recent ARC Annual Forum, I chaired a through-provoking discussion on the subject of integrated Mobility more commonly known as Mobility-as-a-Service.