Getting smart cities to deliver for the environment

The latest research from the Environmental Industries Commission’s Sustainable Smart Cities Taskforce has highlighted a continuing disconnect between cities’ environmental policies and their smart city strategies.

The research investigated 12 cities globally and found that the proportion of smart initiatives that are focused on environmental problems (23%) has not increased over the last five years. The report From Strategy to Delivery: Getting Smart Cities to Deliver for the Environment identifies various factors holding back the adoption of smart environmental technologies, including:

  • Siloed approaches in city governments;

  • Compliance-led environmental policy making;

  • Difficulty of developing business models for smart environment innovations; and

  • Procurement methodology.

Accelar’s Managing Director, Chris Fry is a member of the Taskforce and was recently featured in The ENDS Report’s recent coverage of the research where he commented on the multiple benefits that well-targeted digital and smart technologies can bring. Reflecting on the potential of further digital/smart technology to reduce the urban flood risk for example, he commented that “We could deploy sensor technology in gullies and drains and use that to monitor flood conditions or where drains are getting blocked, so you can adjust your maintenance regime…and you can also avoid the risk of a pollution incident”.

Accelar is helping clients to create strategies and harness specific digital/smart technologies to deliver environmental opportunities. If you’d like to find out more or share your experiences, please get in touch.

2020Chris Fry