IndustryTap recently reported on India’s Bold, Visionary Smart City Initiative led by Prime Minister Modi. Indian leaders will look near and far to see which cities are doing best in converting old and inefficient cities into sustainable, green and smart grids powered by alternative energy and new communication and transportation systems.
As we have seen, some countries, like UAE, have developed entirely new cities, like Masdar City, and China is designing brand new smart cities with supercomputers.
But cities that were created decades or even centuries ago have a much tougher hill to climb. Aging infrastructure and haphazard expansion have left some cities a veritable “rats nest” of technical challenges that brand-new cities will never face.
For producers of smart city technologies like General Electric and Siemens, just to name two, engineers are spreading out across the world to meet city leaders and begin discussions and planning on how to improve old cities.
Siemens Center for Urban Sustainability
Siemens has opened a Center for Urban Sustainability in East London’s Docklands. On view is a history of smart infrastructure solutions engineered by Siemens that have improved urban areas, making them better to live and work in.
According to Siemens, the following are critical to vibrant and sustainable cities:
- new electrical grids
- new energy efficient street lighting
- improved water supplies
- new traffic light systems that manage the flow of traffic, minimizing gridlock
- smart trash cans
- a supply of swimming pools to meet the recreational needs of the city’s population
- well designed and maintained parks for fresh air and recreation
Siemens Smart Infrastructure
Siemens has created a sustainable cities initiative called “The Crystal” that is a clearinghouse for ideas on how to create better cities in the future. “The Crystal” is the world’s largest exhibition focused on urban sustainability and a world-class center for dialogue, discovery and learning.
Related articles on IndustryTap:
- Smart Grid Vulnerabilities & Protection From Cyber & Physical Attacks
- Madrid to Eliminate Cars from City Centre by 2020
- Solar-Powered ‘Smart’ Roads Would Turn the World’s Transportation Network into a Massive Power Plant
References and related content:
