America is a country on the move. According to a report from Freddie Mac, the population in the South and West grew seven times faster than in the Northeast and Midwest between 2017 and 2019. Some smaller and medium-sized metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) have seen faster growth rates than larger MSAs, and, for most locations, the suburbs are growing faster than the cities themselves. So, what does this all mean? As smaller metro areas face the challenges and opportunities associated with an influx of residents, now is the time to look at how smart technologies can be used to help improve the quality of life for those who live, work or play in the area.
Read more: US: Three steps for leveraging smart technologies to support growing cities of any size
Residents can now update their government-issued licenses and registrations, receive proactive reminders and complete transactions through the new Texas by Texas digital assistant platform.
Earlier today, the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) launched a new digital assistant platform called Texas by Texas (TxT), allowing residents to access state services online.
To access the platform, residents can create an online account at https://txt.texas.gov/.
Once an account is created, users can manage their government-issued licenses and registrations, receive proactive reminders about different items and complete transactions.
Read more: US: Texas DIR Launches Citizen-Facing Digital Assistant Platform
The goal will lay out a path for the City to reach carbon-neutrality and provide a framework for reducing emissions, helping avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change.
Baltimore has updated the goals for its Climate Action Plan, which include going carbon-neutral by 2045.
Mayor Brandon Scott has set a series of targets and the administration is also aiming for a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2025, and a 60 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.
Read more: US: Maryland: Baltimore updates its climate action targets
The “smart city” concept has been adopted by cities and counties globally. While the term is inexact, a typical vision is of an IT-enabled environment that efficiently and effectively delivers public services; enables informed, proactive decision-making by the leadership; and promotes sustainability through better resource utilization.
To deliver on this vision, smart cities require a massive deployment of information and communications technologies (ICT), including wired and wireless technologies. Included in this ICT array would be a multitude of networks and sensors in an Internet of Things (IoT) framework that permeates all sectors of modern life. Applications include smart electric grids, intelligent transportation systems, integrated monitoring systems and decision-support systems, to name the most prominent.
Read more: US: Building smart cities and counties with the Infrastructure Act
Change is especially challenging for governments and locales. In the face of chaos, successful counties pivoted to a digital-first approach. See a shining example of how one county achieved it. As organizations look to become more digital across industries, governments and locales are undergoing the same challenges. And the past year has obviously been full of massive challenges on the state and local government level. The counties that are truly successful have been able to pivot to a digital-first approach and stay connected remotely.
Read more: US: California: How Mono County Cracked the Challenges of Digital Transformation