Giving Compass' Take:

• The report, 5 Ways Cities Are Getting Smarter, indicates strategic shifts in cities that can help advance their use of purposeful, smart technology. 

• How are funders supporting cities to achieve technological advancement goals? Do you see projects like these happening in your cities? 

•  Read more about cities, data, and the future of work. 

As cities embrace new technologies and approaches to combat challenges, a new white paper from ABI Research, 5 Ways Cities Are Getting Smarter, examines the top strategy shifts that are currently making cities more advanced and efficient.

The paper identifies five main strategy shifts: Digital twins — 3D urban modeling and generative design is transforming city planning and creating entire digital twins cities, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools hold even more promise.

  • Resilient cities — Cities are shifting their focus from "safe and secure" to "resilient" in the use of technology to protect citizens from natural and human-made threats.
  • Circular cities — Sustainability has been a key element of creating smart cities and aiming for a circular city advances the concept even further.
  • Micromobility — Cities are embracing electric, two-wheeled micromobility devices (bikes and scooters) to reduce congestion and air pollution.
  • Smart spaces — Cities are rethinking the urban built environment and how technology can be integrated into public spaces for widespread benefits.

An implied underlying theme of the report is that the smart technology adopted by cities should have a clear purpose. The white paper also indicates that, because technology is so beneficial to cities, leaders should more readily embrace and invest in it to solve a shifting and expanding set of urban problems such as cyber attacks and climate change.

Read the full article about strategic cities by Katie Pyzyk at SmartCitiesDive.