In recent times’s hyper-connected world, the concept of clever towns is reshaping how city areas are designed, controlled, and included with the wider monetary surroundings. When we speak of smart towns, the point of interest regularly gravitates towards technological solutions consisting of IoT networks, self reliant shipping, or AI-driven public services. Yet, an regularly-disregarded element of a clever and globally aggressive metropolis is its bodily infrastructure, in particular something as easy but important as sidewalks.
In a bustling city like New York City, sidewalks aren’t simply pedestrian pathways — they may be essential arteries that facilitate final-mile logistics, retail access, metropolis mobility, and commonplace financial energy. Addressing sidewalk violations in NYC isn’t always pretty much aesthetics or pedestrian safety; it performs a right away and critical function in improving the metropolis’s capacity to take part correctly in worldwide exchange networks.
House lawmakers this week reintroduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act, which would allocate $1.1 billion for technology, but similar proposals have struggled to advance in the past.
Dive Brief:
- Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., this week reintroduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act, a bill designed to expand access to smart city technologies for local governments and improve federal coordination of smart city programs by establishing an Interagency Council on Smart Cities.
- The bill would provide grant opportunities, develop a domestic workforce to support smart cities’ technical operation, enhance cybersecurity and privacy, and “foster international collaboration and trade” related to smart city technology.
- “Ensuring our communities are equipped with the smart city technologies they need to be cleaner, safer and more resilient to the changing climate must be among Congress’ highest priorities,” Clarke said in a press release announcing the legislation.
Read more: US: Bill looks to expand AI, cybersecurity resources for local governments
As Greensboro builds upon its transit service to meet future demands, it will be looking towards the deployment of autonomous, shared, and connected transit.
The US City of Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Greensboro Transit Agency, along with Guident have joined the Aces Mobility Coalition to help advance shared autonomous mobility.
Read more: US: North Carolina: City of Greensboro joins Aces Mobility Coalition
From traffic management to smart trash cans, Raleigh, N.C., is quickly moving to introduce artificial intelligence tools into smart city platforms and projects.
Before the first plastic water bottle or paper napkin gets tossed into a smart garbage can, brimming with artificial intelligence, it needs some data.
Raleigh, N.C., is exploring the use of smart trash cans, which can decide if an item is recyclable or not.
SG Analytics (SGA), a global data solutions firm, has published a 2024 report of the world's top "100 Smart Cities in the World" for 2025. While the complete list of 100 cities included nine in the United States, only one American city actually made the top 10. Surprisingly, it wasn't San Francisco — which has a car-free coastal park with oceanfront charm — nor Los Angeles, where an underrated neighborhood offers a haven of walkable streets and creative energy.
Instead, New York City was actually found to be America's top smart city, and one of the world's top 10, according to SGA's data and strict judging criteria. Specifically, the report highlighted the NYC's commitment to smart grid tech, as well as its Internet of Things (IoT) traffic management and electric transportation as core reasons for the decision. These initiatives all align with SGA's definition of a smart city, which incorporates innovative tech (e.g. AI and IoT) to better manage energy, environmental, and public infrastructure more sustainably.
Read more: Only One American Metropolis Made The List Of The World's Top 10 'Smart Cities' For 2025