Axios: The race to become “smart cities”

Why it matters: Metropolitan areas across the country are trying to take advantage of new technologies to become more efficient and sustainable — two qualities that appeal to younger generations of workers, as well as the startups and big corporations who want to employ them.

“Smart city” is the buzzword adopted by tech firms and mayors to describe areas that mash together fast internet, sensors and automation to power “smart” streetlights, energy meters, water monitors and transportation systems.

• If marketing materials are to be believed, smart cities will use gigabit-speed internet and future 5G networks to transform how citizens interact with schools, utilities, their neighbors and and local governments.
• For example, sensors at downtown intersections can monitor pedestrian traffic and direct stop lights when to turn red, while dimming street lights and monitoring weather and rush-hour patterns to send notifications to commuters and public transit drivers.
• Google, Microsoft, Panasonic, Siemens, IBM, Oracle, Cisco, Verizon and AT&T are all pitching their services to cities.

The reality: Making cities smarter is more of a business model challenge than a technological one, says George Karayannis, who’s leading Panasonic’s smart city project near Denver’s airport. Aligning the interests of everyone involved — utilities, telecom providers, builders, city officials — is the hardest part. “It’s like a seven-legged race,” he said.

What’s happening: Denver, for example, has become a test-bed for smart city projects, driven by a booming economy, a dwindling water supply and increasing traffic.

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