In the video below, Council Associate Partner ABB explains its role in helping develop smart cities to address a city's goals of sustainability, competitiveness and becoming a more attractive place to live.
Anyone looking for a basic, straightforward explanation of what a smart grid is will find it in this one-pager from Council Lead Partner Alstom Grid. It provides useful comparisons between the traditional grid and the benefits that intelligent grids being implemented around the world provide.
This information-packed paper from Council Lead Partner Alstom Grid explains how smart grids are paving the way for a fresh approach to urban development, leading to the emergence of a new concept in environmentally responsible smart cities.
Bechtel civil infrastructure planning manager James Denton-Brown talks to Project magazine about smart cities and the Smart Cities Readiness Guide.
"One of the main things this guide is going to do is help city governments and project managers understand their goals about applying new technology in the right way," says Denton-Brown.
In this video, Jesse Berst, Chairman of the Smart Cities Council, interviews Microsoft's Laura Ipsen, VP of World Wide Public Sector, about smart cities and about Microsoft's far-reaching CityNext initiative.
Carson City Public Works is responsible for taking care of the Nevada city’s water, wastewater, transportation, landfill, fleet, environmental, and renewable power systems. To achieve its goals, Carson City Public Works created an infrastructure that revolves around the capabilities of its people and the best available smart city technology from Schneider Electric. The result is improved operator and managerial efficiency, increased situational awareness, and a high level of operational readiness.
The motto of the Smart Cities Council is "Livability, Workability, Sustainability." That middle piece -- workability, aka global competitiveness, aka economic development -- may be the most powerful driver of all as the world emerges from a tough recession.
Although Japan was a laggard in making the move to the smart grid, don't think the same will be true for smart cities. As you will see in this piece from Navigant Research, penned exclusively for the Smart Cities Council, Japan has been marching down the path since the late '90s.
Q&A with Jochen Kreusel, Head of sector initiative Smart Grids, ABB
Jochen Kreusel is an exemplary German technology expert -- someone who combines deep technical proficiency with strong managerial skills. His conversations are often marked by a short pause, followed by an answer delivered with careful precision. His full title is Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jochen Kreusel, which reflects his doctorate in electrical engineering from Aachen University of Technology (Germany) and his continuing role there as honorary professor.
The Council motto is Livability, Workability, Sustainability. Most people would say that outdoor billboards detract from livability. But here's a story about several designs that perform a useful function while they also advertise. They were created as part of a campaign for Council member IBM's Smarter Cities Project. -- Jesse Berst