Our world’s cities are facing overcrowding issues. Many are having to find new and innovative ways to solve problems such as traffic congestion and pollution, with resources such as water, energy, and housing all feeling the strain.
With populations expected to grow to more than six billion by 2050, many local authorities are looking for ways to make their cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Could IoT and the development of smarter cities be the answer to meeting your sustainable development goals? Providing greater connectivity to the environments we live and work in, smart city tech can provide a platform for monitoring resource use and drive down unnecessary costs. So, what can smart cities do for your sustainability goals? Here our experts look at what solutions are available and how it can dramatically improve your sustainability measures. In January 2018, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published its Internet of Things Guidelines for Sustainability. After exploring 643 applications of IoT technology, the WEF found that 84 percent were addressing, or could potentially address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Reduce energy costs, increase road safety and promote cycling to drive health benefits Smart street lights It is clear the introduction of LED street lighting has helped reduce many local authorities’ energy bills by anything from 30-70%. Reducing spend through energy savings is important, but connected streetlights take it to the next level. Smart lighting networks can be harnessed to cheaply deploy IoT devices beyond lighting. Sensors can monitor the flow of vehicles and generate information to dynamically adjust lighting levels based on road usage. Increased dimming generates further energy savings while creating a safe environment for road users. Traffic sensors cheaply connected via smart lighting networks are an example of how street lights can provide the backbone to implement smart city applications. Interested to learn more? Then contact Urban Control to find out more about our Traffic Management Services and other smart city solutions in the UrbanSense portfolio. Improve air quality around key areas such as schools, hospitals, and inner-city routes Air quality sensors Want to know where pollution is at its worst in your city? And what is causing it? By deploying air quality sensors, you can. Air quality sensors monitor environments at a localised level. Collected data can provide insight into air quality performance versus government targets such as the Air Quality Index. Air quality information at strategic locations such as busy transport hubs, city centres, and schools, highlights the number of people affected.
This quantifiable data can drive decisions to introduce positive environmental outcomes such as speed limits, pedestrianised areas and investment in green infrastructure. Initiatives required to sustainably manage cities and positively impact billions of lives in urban spaces. If you would like to discuss how smart city tech can help meet your sustainability targets, contact the team here. Our smart city solutions: UrbanMaster UrbanNode UrbanSense UrbanConnect UrbanApp Managed Services