The leading smart city in America boasts smart buildings, connected roadways, sensors, cameras, high-speed connectivity and more
The city of tomorrow has arrived.
Or more accurately, it has been created in Peachtree Corners, a city 20 miles north of Atlanta.
As the leading Smart City in America, Peachtree is the ultimate land of interconnected devices.
Waterloo is one of five cities in the country to be chosen for a program to become a “smart city” through Honeywell and Accelerator for America.
A smart city is defined as a city that uses technology to provide services and solve city problems for its residents.
Through the program, Waterloo will receive technical support from the organizations to develop a Smart City strategic plan. The plan will align key stakeholders, define priorities and identify high-impact and inclusive initiatives that advance residents’ quality of life in areas such as climate resiliency, public safety, operational efficiency and improved service delivery, according to the organizations.
Read more: US: Iowa: Waterloo receiving help to build smart city
The rural northern community of Grand Rapids is now being served by Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative, an 18-month pilot program to explore the use of self-driving on-demand microtransit.
Autonomous transit has come to rural Minnesota, supplementing local transportation options.
The service in the small northern city of Grand Rapids, known as goMARTI (Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative), will run for 18 months and include an area across 17 square miles with some 70 pickup and drop-off locations. Five ADA-compliant Toyota Sienna vans will be used for the service and will all include an onboard safety driver.
Read more: US: Autonomous On-Demand Transit Comes to Rural Minnesota
Peachtree Corners is putting the ‘smart city’ model into practice, taking a methodical approach to introducing new technology and autonomous devices.
A small Atlanta suburb is rapidly becoming a model for the much-discussed ‘smart city,’ but the city may look less futuristic than you imagine, writes Mohar Chatterjee in Politico.
Seniors riding the Monterey-Salinas Transit system can now use the Cal-ITP Benefits app to quickly confirm their eligibility for discounted fares, and then tap-and-pay with a credit or debit card.
Part of making transit more convenient — and more equitable — is making it easy for riders to get the discounts they are entitled to.
A partnership among state agencies in California, and a local transit provider, has developed an easy-to-use app where seniors can quickly confirm their eligibility for their fare discount, and then simply tap their credit or debit card as they board the bus. The system automatically deducts the appropriate discounted fare from their account.
Read more: US: California Clearing the Way for Easy Contactless Transit Fares