The term “smart city” isn’t just about cities. It holds implications for communities of all sizes and types anywhere in the world.
The Smart Cities Council defines smart cities as those jurisdictions that use information and communication technology to enhance livability, workability, and sustainability. According to Wikipedia, a smart community integrates that information and technology to allow local government officials to “interact directly with the community and [its] infrastructure and to monitor what is happening in the [community], how the [community] is evolving, and how to enable a better quality of life.”
The smart community movement is gaining momentum and should be an important topic of discussion within all local governments, regardless of size. To help you facilitate those discussions, we’ve pulled together the resources below.
Upcoming Webinar
U.S. Smart Cities: Trends and Opportunities
What are the perceived benefits of smart technology for communities, particularly smaller ones? And which service areas are most likely to realize those benefits? Listen to a panel of experts as they discuss the barriers, key sectors, and innovations in smart city trends, based on the results of a 2016 survey of U.S. cities and counties and case studies from two jurisdictions. The 90-minute ICMA University webinar will feature: Dr. Stuart Cowan, chief scientist, the Smart Cities Council; Jelani Newton, director of survey research, ICMA; Daniel Hoffman, chief innovations officer, Montgomery County, Maryland; and Alison Ortowski, assistant city manager, Southlake, Texas.
Featured Resources
2016 Smart Cities Survey Summary Report
In 2016, ICMA partnered with the Smart Cities Council to conduct a survey that examined the priorities and activities of U.S. local governments related to smart-city technologies. The survey results, as described in this summary report, provide insights into the current use of smart city technologies in the U.S. as well as key motivators and barriers to the adoption of these solutions.
Smart Cities Survey Dataset
Raw data from the 2016 ICMA-Smart Cities Council survey, which was sent to 3,423 U.S. local governments with populations of 25,000 or greater. Responses were received from 493 jurisdictions for a response rate of 14.4 percent.
2016 Smart Cities Survey Snapshot
A two-page visual summary highlighting the key findings of the 2016 Smart City survey.
THE SMART CITY MOVEMENT
In New York City, residents can take advantage of “Link” kiosks that provide free public WiFi, phone calls, device charging, and a tablet for Internet browsing, along with access to community services, maps, and directions. This December 2016 article published in ICMA's flagship PM (Public Management) magazine examines the areas in which smart city development is occurring most rapidly.
Smart Cities of the Future
Elizabeth Kellar, then president and CEO of the Center for State and Local Government and deputy executive director for ICMA, spoke on the topic of smart cities during the 2016 Global City Teams Challenge Tech Jam. Below are the slides that accompanied her speech.
New, Reduced Membership Dues
A new, reduced dues rate is available for CAOs/ACAOs, along with additional discounts for those in smaller communities, has been implemented. Learn more and be sure to join or renew today!
