Thirteen winners have been applauded for their visionary leadership, best practice projects and real-world impact at the second annual Smart Cities Awards.
Telstra and GWI partnered with Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand to present the awards, which were held in Sydney as part of Smart Cities Week.
“The 2019 winners of the Smart Cities Awards are delivering truly world-standard initiatives that demonstrate a smart city is not just technologically advanced, but is also a powerful connector of community,” says Jason Law, National General Manager, Local Government and Smart Cities, for Telstra.
“The awards showcase the diversity of the smart cities movement across government, industry and academia and underscore Australia’s potential to seize the lead in the smart cities space,” says Ian Roderick, Partner with GWI.
The City of Melbourne took home the coveted Leadership City category for an innovative strategy that combines the latest in technology with deep community engagement. The City of Melbourne also won the Digital City Services award for its Melbourne City DNA project and the Social Impact award for its Open Innovation Competitions.
The Regional Leadership Award went to the Southern Grampians Shire Council for its transformative work on behalf of its 16,000 residents to address the challenges faced by rural people.
The City of Canterbury Bankstown came up trumps in the Smart City Partnership category for transforming Bankstown Station into a street of the future. The council also took home the Smart City Organisation Transformation Award for boosting its smart city maturing and impact.
Three individuals were applauded for their leadership. The City of Perth’s Daniel High earned the Government Leader Award for his work driving a transformative $2.6 smart cities investment. Place Design Group’s Chris Isles was acknowledged with the Industry Leader Award for his innovative work to reimagine the street. SAGE Automation's Ashby Martin was recognised for uplifting smart cities capabilities in the Emerging Leader category.
“The 2019 awards demonstrate how far the smart cities community has come in just a year. In our capacity as the peak body for smart cities, we will continue to elevate and celebrate those cities, towns and communities that are realising the economic and social potential of technology and data investment,” says Adam Beck, Executive Director of the Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand.
Information on each category and winner is found below.
Digital City Services
This award recognises government organisations that use technology and data to improve service delivery, citizen engagement and satisfaction, employee productivity, competitiveness, environmental outcomes or cost benefits.
Winner: City of Melbourne
Melbourne City DNA is a visualisation tool that merges the physical and digital worlds by combining 3D printed models of the whole city with data projections. City DNA harnesses powerful modelling and analytical capabilities to help people look at their city in new ways.
Smart Cities Strategy
This award recognises government organisations that are guiding smart cities and digital transformation investments with a strategy driven by liveability, workability and sustainability.
Winner: Wyndham City Council
Highly Commended: City of Canterbury Bankstown
Wyndham City Council’s strategy is a blueprint for the deployment of emerging technology – but one co-designed with the community, innovators, researchers, vendors and local businesses. The Smart City Office engaged with people at train stations, libraries, events, through aged care and youth workers, to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of citizens.
Built Environment Award
This award recognises organisations that have invested in technology and data to drive more productive and sustainable built environments.
Winner: City of Prospect, City of Burnside, City of Playford, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Campbelltown City Council, University of Adelaide and Meshed
The Connected Cities consortium has delivered an open access Internet of Things network that covers 35 per cent of metropolitan Adelaide. Developed by five councils in conjunction with the University of Adelaide and technology partner Meshed, the network gathers real time data from more than 100 sensors, allowing councils to plan and manage assets more efficiently.
Social Impact
This award recognises organisations using technology and data to improve the lives of disadvantaged citizens.
Winner: City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne’s Open Innovation Competitions are a short exercise designed to stimulate new ideas, solutions and perspectives to solve city problems. Each competition taps into the creativity and expertise of a community. Three open innovation challenges so far have explored: safe mobility; accessibility for people with disabilities; and transport congestion and social disconnection.
Research and Innovation
This award recognises academic institutions advancing the benefits of smart cities solutions with a clear path to post-research investment and deployment.
Winner: University of Newcastle
As Newcastle reinvents itself as a centre of technology and innovation, the University of Newcastle has leveraged the city’s natural and emerging industrial advantages to trial and develop innovative smart cities solutions. Among these are a $17.8 million innovation hub, with smart technology and WiFi in the CBD, and the $13.5 million Smart Moves Newcastle project, which is investigating a new multi-modal transport system.
Regional Leadership Award
This award recognises organisations embracing technology and data solutions to build regional business opportunities, protect natural resources and enhance lifestyle.
Winner: Southern Grampians Shire Council
Home to 16,000 residents, the Southern Grampians Shire Council is building a digital ecosystem to transform its rural, ageing and declining community. The council is investing in smart technology – including a LoRaWAN IoT sensor network and connectGH public WiFi network – to capture data on everything from water quality and weather monitoring. The council now boasts one of the largest LoRaWAN coverage areas in rural Australia.
Smart city policy
This award recognises organisations for policies, regulations, guidelines and frameworks that have accelerated smart city planning, investment and outcomes.
Winner: Local Government Association of South Australia
The Smart Cities Framework for Metropolitan Adelaide was developed in collaboration with 19 councils, universities, the private sector and state government. A communication tool that describes smart cities principles, the framework helps councils to embed smart cities into planning, administration and operations.
Smart city Partnership
This award recognises organisations for collaborations that have reached new frontiers of smart city excellence in coordination, governance, projects and outcomes.
Winner: City of Canterbury Bankstown
Highly Commended: City of Newcastle
Highly Commended: Sunshine Coast Council and Stockland
In June 2019, the North Terrace of Bankstown Station in Sydney was transformed into a street of the future as part of a pop-up activation to show the potential impact autonomous vehicles, smart city technology, urban agriculture and more. Delivered in partnership with Place Design Group, the project was a tool to gain community feedback and create excitement around two of the City’s major projects: the Smart CBCity Roadmap and the Bankstown Complete Streets Transport and Place Plan.
Smart City Organisation Transformation
This award recognises organisations that have increased their smart city maturity, and therefore impact, as a result of organisation transformation.
Winner: City of Canterbury Bankstown
Since the City of Canterbury Bankstown embarked on its smart city journey, it has developed a solid roadmap, established a taskforce and champions and released a $350,000 seed fund. The City has hosted hackathons and youth workshops, engaged more than 100 planners and policymakers, and engaged 1,000-plus citizens people online.
Leadership City Award
This award recognises local government organisations demonstrating world-leading liveability, workability and sustainability outcomes for their citizens from investment in technology and data solutions.
Winner: City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne’s smart cities approach addresses the ‘triple threat’ of population growth, sustainability challenges and digital disruption. Among the landmark projects underway are a 5G and IoT testbed in Carlton, which is currently trialling a host of emerging technologies with 26 partners, and a new Melbourne Innovation District in partnership with local universities. The City also holds open innovation competitions to stimulate new ideas and solve city problems.
Government Leader Award
Presented to an individual within a government organisation who has made a significant contribution to advancing the smart cities movement.
Winner: Daniel High
Highly Commended: Daniel Adams
Daniel High, Acting Director of Economic Development and Activation at the City of Perth, has harnessed his passion, energy and perseverance, to lead a $2.6 million smart cities program. Four projects are currently underway to enhance safety and security, irrigation, sustainability and data management across the city.
Industry Leader
Presented to an individual within a non-government organisation who has made a significant contribution to advancing the smart cities movement.
Winner: Chris Isles
The Executive Director of Planning for Place Design Group, Chris Isles is a self-confessed ‘streets-geek’. He led the team that delivered the design for Future Street, a world-first demonstration project that embedded green and smart infrastructure and technology to reimagine the street in world of digital transformation and new mobility.
Emerging Leader
Presented to an early career practitioner who is making a significant contribution to advancing the smart cities movement.
Winner: Ashby Martin
As Smart Cities Lead with SAGE Automation Ashby Martin has uplifted his team’s smart cities capability. Ashby applies deep technical understanding of the best practices in design, implementation and management of smart cities systems to achieve exemplary outcomes for SAGE Automation’s customers.
