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Predicting what's to come in a new year is at worst guesswork and at best a well-reasoned forecast based on the evolution of trends and developments, things we already know about, that look like they'll have a trajectory well into the future. The...
Article - 01/17/2019
Active Region(s): North America
Category: Policy and leadership, Financing and procurement tools
Urban populations are growing. It's a trend that's not expected to end anytime soon — and it's straining city services and budgets in many cities. We can see it in our congested streets, overburdened healthcare facilities and elsewhere. As a result...
Article - 11/16/2017
Active Region(s): North America
Category: Financing and procurement tools
If you're like most city leaders, you understand the benefits of making your city more livable, workable and sustainable. But time and again, one of the things we hear from leaders is that money is the biggest obstacle to taking on smart city...
Article - 03/09/2017
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
A lack of funding has always been a common obstacle that developing nations have struggled to overcome. But a new initiative promises to make it easier for those who want to invest to give, and for those who need the investment to receive.Council...
Article - 07/17/2015
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
There’s never been a time when it has been so easy for cities large and small to buy technology and expertise. But for the investment to be a success, it’s not just what they buy — it’s how they buy it.Council Lead Partner IBM conducts an annual...
Article - 05/20/2015
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Analytics, Citizen engagement, Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
As the buzz around climate change grows louder, cities around the world are celebrating Earth Day. To refresh your memory, Earth Day made its debut on this date in 1970 and, some would say, launched the modern environmental movement.Yet, while eco-...
Article - 04/22/2015
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Energy, Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
Municipal bonds used to be an almost foolproof way of paying for big projects. But with those falling out of favor with big investors, Denver was forced to think small. The investors behind its Better Denver project were small-time investors: its...
Article - 10/03/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Built environment, Citizen engagement, Finance and procurement, Citizen engagement strategies and tools, Financing and procurement tools
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) featured the Smart Cities Financial Guide in the July 2014 issue of its PM Magazine. The Center for Urban Innovation at Arizona State University partnered with the Smart Cities Council to...
Article - 07/15/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
A New York Times article earlier this week suggesting Europe remains a step ahead of the U.S. in creating smart cities garnered a lot of attention on Twitter and elsewhere. Even though Europe was hard hit by the recent financial crisis, the Times...
Article - 04/23/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Finance and procurement, Policy and leadership, Financing and procurement tools
When smart cities encourage residents to adopt new technologies – say energy efficiency upgrades – there may be resistance. Residents may not have the upfront money to pay for them. They may be reluctant to adopt something unfamiliar to them. They...
Article - 04/18/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Energy, Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools
Cities and other government agencies working to incorporate smart city technologies into their operations sometimes fail to get the outcomes they’re looking for.Part of the reason for this is the old school procurement regimen that agencies abide by...
Article - 03/19/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Financing and procurement tools
Cities everywhere are challenged by congestion, pollution, crime, aging infrastructure, falling budgets and many other issues. They need new strategies and new technologies to address those challenges.Certainly smart technologies are a solution. But...
Resources - 08/24/2015
Active Region(s): Main, North America, Readiness Guide Online
Category: Member Premium Resources, Finance and procurement, Policy and leadership, Financing and procurement tools
To help governments improve service delivery, Council Associate Partner Imex Systems Inc. is pioneering a public-private partnership model where governments can obtain multi-channel service delivery infrastructure at no cost or minimal capital and...
Resources - 03/26/2014
Active Region(s): Main, North America, Readiness Guide Online
Category: Finance and procurement, Financing and procurement tools