Smart Cities North America Awards: 13 cities bag smart city award

IDC Government Insights has listed 13 winners this week in its fourth annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA). Ruthbea Yesner, Vice President, IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities and Communities Strategies told the media that forward-thinking municipalities are underpinned by strong leadership, innovative technology, and commitment to the public. Awards are given in 11 categories—administration, civic engagement, digital equity and accessibility,sustainable infrastructure, transportation, transportation infrastructure, education, urban planning and land use. public health and social services, public safety, and smart buildings. All the selected projects stand out from the nominees, but a few were unique in their approach to problems, said Yesner. Citing Arizona State University Smart City Innovation Lab as an example, she said that it brings together the private and public sectors to co-develop projects with the university and share information to create innovative solutions. A project in Boulder, Colorado, installed a vehicle-to-building electric vehicle (EV) charger that lets electricity flow back and forth between EVs and charging infrastructure instead of the typical one-way flow from a charger to EV. This can help optimise electricity consumption, primarily during peak demand, and lower costs. It can contribute to electrical grid resilience and reduce the likelihood of power outages. Image Source Also read: Smart Cities Mission: Surat secures top rank in smart cities rankings Also read: Smart City Mission: Futuristic infra projects to improve Udaipur rank