Six Experts Talk About the Pressing Need for Smart Cities

These experts answer questions about the infrastructural needs that cities must evaluate, as well as how leaders can bring innovations to their communities.

With the United Nations reporting that 60 percent of the global population will call an urban area home by 2030, what are the most pressing infrastructural systems that cities will need to evaluate to meet the growing demand of this population?

The key challenge for cities will be to manage growing populations while transitioning to a sustainable, reliable energy supply with very limited financial and spatial resources. This means that a city must balance sustainable and stable supply of water, electricity, heat and housing, while also integrating new sources of urban renewable energy. Cities will also need to update, renew and expand their water and waste-water networks, and re-organize the city’s transportation. These are huge challenges where advanced digital solutions can help to achieve the three goals: increase sustainability, resilience and efficiency.

Proper water and energy efficiency often dictates a citizen’s quality of life in any environment. What trends in technology are you seeing advance the equitable water infrastructure?

The importance of a clean and sustainable water and energy supply in managing the growing populations of cities is getting more and more attention across the globe — not only to meet climate and safety goals, but to ensure the future economic competitiveness of a city. Therefore, control and monitoring of water networks will need to be improved to address water and waste-water challenges. However, we can go beyond the basic technology. Digitalization helps in the coordination of the operation of all infrastructure assets in a city in order to minimize the operational costs associated with them.

How can power and water utilities serve as a smart city solution to businesses and citizens? And how can public authorities work collaboratively with providers to bring it to their community?

Public authorities can bring smart city solutions to businesses and citizens by first defining a clear objective. For example, “What do we want to achieve in our city, how and why?” To define these objectives, public authorities should bring together key stakeholders including citizens, businesses and companies, as well as service and technology providers. Collaboratively, city-wide goals, a vision, strategy, and regulation can be defined with a robust road map for real innovation.  Power and water utilities should be active players in these collaborative leadership teams, as they provide experience and expertise to improve operations both securely and sustainably.

Without a collaborative approach, only urgent needs will be addressed without any plan to better the lives of citizens in the long term.

Digital Infrastructure requires significant financial resources. How can the digital transformation of water utilities and automation systems pay off as a cost effective and energy efficient solution that meets the end-user’s requirements in the long term? (How can cities prioritize water as a critical investment for smart city development?)

The installation of the foundation technologies like EV-Chargers, urban renewable generation, building automation, water metering and leakage detection systems or even free WiFi in public squares is very cost intensive. However, to bring true value to citizens by combining and optimizing these technologies together, the backbone is the digital infrastructure. With smart connection and joint operational optimization with digital services, a city can free up financial resources that are otherwise tight. The money saved from digital integration can be re-invested to benefit citizens in the long term.

Water plays an essential role in the everyday lives of people, communities, and businesses. Without investment in water infrastructure, smart cities have limited room for development.

With the United Nations reporting that 60 percent of the global population will call an urban area home by 2030, what are the most pressing infrastructural systems that cities will need to evaluate to meet the growing demand of this population? 

One of the most pressuring challenges facing growing urban areas is the reliable distribution of potable water to our homes and businesses via an aging water main network.  A majority of the water main network was installed around WWII and has reached its design life, resulting in water loss from our system, water main breaks and service disruption.  Replacing all the water mains under our streets is not an option, but safely extending the life of these buried assets using smart technologies can be a cost-effective approach.   

Proper water and energy efficiency often dictates a citizen’s quality of life in any environment. What trends in technology are you seeing advance the equitable water infrastructure?

Smart water technologies are providing “eyes and ears” to water utility operators about what is happening to the water as it leaves the treatment plant into the distribution network. By installing advanced sensors on water system assets such as fire hydrants, we can use technology to make the hydrant a smart device. Now utilities have the ability to use fire hydrants as a communication hub that can identify and immediately inform a utility operator of leaks, pressure spikes and water quality issues. By proactively monitoring their water systems, utilities can save water, reduce costs and improve customer service. 

How can power and water utilities serve as a smart city solution to businesses and citizens? And how can public authorities work collaboratively with providers to bring it to their community?

Smart water technologies such as the EchoShore®-DX automated leak detection system are enabling utilities to find a leak as soon as it develops.  This reduces water loss in times of drought, reduces energy costs associated with pumping treated water, and can even help to mitigate environmental impacts on environmentally sensitive areas.  In some cases the cost of the water which was saved through early leak detection, allowed the utility to defer certain infrastructure costs and apply prioritize those funds to other critical infrastructure initiatives. 

Digital infrastructure requires significant financial resources. How can the digital transformation of water utilities and automation systems pay off as a cost effective and energy efficient solution that meets the end-user’s requirements in the long term? (How can cities prioritize water as a critical investment for smart city development?)

Due to the aging condition of buried water main infrastructure, controlling water loss is a priority, increasing in scale with each passing year.  I believe water utilities will need a new approach to battle water loss going forward. The use of leak detection technology provides early notification of a leak, enabling the utility to monitor the leak and prioritize its repair based on actual urgency and crew availability. As a result, utilities have reduced maintenance costs and have seen a payback period of under one year, which is tremendous. 

With the United Nations reporting that 60 percent of the global population will call an urban area home by 2030, what are the most pressing infrastructural systems that cities will need to evaluate to meet the growing demand of this population?

Water collection and storage, distribution and recycling systems will need to be expanded significantly from current capacity. Rapid building of affordable housing will be critical to prevent the spread of slums and inhuman living conditions. Similarly, we need rapid building of healthcare facilities spread out across the urban area to provide quick and easy access to citizens. Public transportation systems will also need to be built or upgraded quickly to handle the population explosion. This not only includes buses and trains, but also on-demand Transportation as a Service with self-driven cars. Finally, all this means tremendous demand for sustainable power generation & distribution.

The ability to take advantage of affordable and accessible transportation options often dictates a citizen’s ability to achieve personal and economic success — from employment and education opportunities to health care options, a person’s quality of life is often contingent upon their access to transportation. What trends in technology are you seeing advance the equitable transportation infrastructure?

Success with the L.A. tunnel project by Elon Musk’s the Boring Company could result in an explosion of projects to create network of underground tunnels in urban areas to support the need to rapidly expand public transportation. Together with on-demand, self-driven cars, the goal should be to enable an individual to get from any point in an urban area to another point within a reasonable amount of time.

Investing in Infrastructural Broadband can be an expensive and intimidating venture for many municipalities. But what are the benefits of universal 5G—to businesses and citizens? And how can public authorities work collaboratively with providers to bring it to their community?

The two most obvious benefits of universal 5G is safety and information. Ability to connect and collaborate in real-time with businesses and citizens is invaluable when it comes to disaster preparedness and emergency response. Instant access to information and online, collaborative workflows can make municipalities extremely efficient. Another aspect to consider is the ability to clarify misinformation generated through social media that could adversely impact citizens and businesses in a municipality.

Digital Infrastructure requires significant financial resources. However, cities that do not make these critical investments risk being left behind. Aside from taxpayer-financed projects, what alternative financial resources do public authorities have?

Public authorities have had good success with asking privately-funded construction projects to also include creation of public infrastructure like green spaces, parks, public parking and libraries before the projects get their regulatory approval. The same approach could work well to incorporate digital infrastructure investment into the scope of the construction projects.

Today, Public Private Partnerships (P3s) provide communities with new tools and ways to address their infrastructure challenges. For public authorities and community leaders, for what kinds of projects does it make sense to investigate a P3? And what are some the first steps when considering the P3 route?

Looking at the European models, P3s are viable for vertical construction as well as horizontal. The US has primarily used P3s for infrastructure/horizontal work like highways, but it is a method that translates well to housing and healthcare to name two building types.

With the United Nations reporting that 60 percent of the global population will call an urban area home by 2030, what are the most pressing infrastructural systems that cities will need to evaluate to meet the growing demand of this population?

Affordable housing, mass-transit systems, transportation infrastructure, water, health and safety are all foundational, and each represents a grand challenge on its own. Much of the infrastructure in this country – highways, bridges, roads, side-roads, water systems and buildings – were planned and built in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. We have to do a major rethink. To enable communities to thrive, forward-looking urban planning must result in a significant reduction of vehicle emissions, clean water, sewage systems and cities that are digitally connected through high-speed, secure and robust networks. Our research universities can and will play a major role.

Data, fiber, and sensors form the newest infrastructure layer for local governments.  Governments must protect data from cyber-attacks, physical attacks, severe weather events and other types of catastrophic data threats. Optimizing the functionality and use of the emerging technology ecosystems while securing them will be essential to community and economic growth in the future. 

The ability to take advantage of affordable and accessible transportation options often dictates a citizen’s ability to achieve personal and economic success—from employment and education opportunities to health care options, a person’s quality of life is often contingent upon their access to transportation. What trends in technology are you seeing advance the equitable transportation infrastructure?

Transportation is mobility. At the University of Nevada, Reno, we have joined with public and private partner organizations to launch Intelligent Mobility, a research-driven initiative to develop safe, clean, efficient and synchronized mobility as a foundation for sustainable economies and communities. This research has especially significant implications for public transportation and therefore contributes to greater equity.

Creating new and more efficient land uses that aren’t as dependent on expansive rights-of-ways yield higher production ratios. Smart technology plans integrated with updated land-use regulations create an opportunity for urban areas to make the best use of a limited resource — land — in most urban centers.

Investing in Infrastructural Broadband can be an expensive and intimidating venture for many municipalities. But what are the benefits of universal 5G—to businesses and citizens? And how can public authorities work collaboratively with providers to bring it to their community?

With more than 20 billion estimated connected devices in use by 2020, technology ecosystems must advance. 5G is one of the promising emerging technologies that is anticipated to handle the vast future demand for video data use.

The key is identifying a shared vision that entwines the concepts of a prosperous economy and a sustainable community. It is important that public authorities in collaboration with the private sector and universities and citizen groups define the opportunities, demonstrate how the investment will be leveraged, and bring energy and enthusiasm to these discussions.

Digital Infrastructure requires significant financial resources. However, cities that do not make these critical investments risk being left behind. Aside from taxpayer-financed projects, what alternative financial resources do public authorities have?

Partnerships are the best solution to these challenges. Local governments, to a great degree, are operating on very tight budgets with few new resources on the horizon. Many private companies are investing in technology infrastructure that may be a used to expand public offerings in new collaborative partnerships that enhance the entire community.

These partnerships may also be in collaboration with universities. In Reno, where we are experiencing an economic resurgence, we are seeing that creative solutions – financial and otherwise – arrive through deeper, meaningful collaborations, and are often catalyzed by the university.

Today, Public Private Partnerships (P3s) provide communities with new tools and ways to address their infrastructure challenges. For public authorities and community leaders, for what kinds of projects does it make sense to investigate a P3? And what are some the first steps when considering the P3 route?

Affordable housing, building design, physical and transportation infrastructure and connectivity are examples of the typically large-scale projects best addressed through private-sector partnership. The smart, connected cities of our future will demand these kinds of partnerships.

Public-private partnerships are vital to the success and growth of the University of Nevada, Reno, and are helping us address the challenge of student housing, enhance workforce preparedness and improve our research and computing infrastructures.

The decision to enter into a public-private partnership must be value-driven and weigh multiple considerations – economic, financial, legal, ethical, fairness and inclusiveness. In many situations, using the expert private-sector partners limits risk and improves performance, while also allowing an institution or municipality to focus on other priorities and maximize the use of limited funding.

With the United Nations reporting that 60 percent of the global population will call an urban area home by 2030, what are the most pressing infrastructural systems that cities will need to evaluate to meet the growing demand of this population?

Public safety will transform dramatically over the next decade. A city will never be “smart” until it is safe. Smart video, early gunshot warning, environmental sensors, drone surveillance and advanced communication systems will all be a part of this transforming public safety landscape that will keep our populations safe. We see advancement on all fronts and communication systems are the foundation of this progress. The combination of FirstNet data communication and other first responder communication system upgrades are critical to the advancement of smart, safe cities.

The ability to take advantage of affordable and accessible transportation options often dictates a citizen’s ability to achieve personal and economic success—from employment and education opportunities to health care options, a person’s quality of life is often contingent upon their access to transportation. What trends in technology are you seeing advance the equitable transportation infrastructure?

The reason we travel and the mode of travel will transform dramatically over the next decade.  Technology gives many the ability to work from anywhere. Social media also adapts our mobility motives. Imagine the well-organized transportation potential of a fully autonomous landscape.  Couple that with high speed options such as hyperloop technology, and you begin to see the tremendous impacts these transportation modes will have on the way we live, work and play.  Multi-modal hubs will have a de-congesting effect on our transportation future and open the door to new work and play opportunities. 

Investing in Infrastructural Broadband can be an expensive and intimidating venture for many municipalities. But what are the benefits of universal 5G — to businesses and citizens? And how can public authorities work collaboratively with providers to bring it to their community?

Pervasive 5G will have a profound impact on our communities. Mobile connectivity at gigabit speeds will be transformative. Some are reporting trillions of dollars of net economic impact from 5G.  The ability to transfer data at gigabit speed on mobile platforms will open the door to a whole new wave of device and software product enablement. Broadband infrastructure that supports high speed data communication takes on a whole new economic profile when communities gain benefit from the investment. Communities will be able to monetize access to their right-of-ways and enable the next telecommunication wave.

Digital Infrastructure requires significant financial resources. However, cities that do not make these critical investments risk being left behind. Aside from taxpayer-financed projects, what alternative financial resources do public authorities have?

Public private partnerships (P3) are a valuable vehicle to obtaining digital infrastructure. The public sector has infrastructure needs and holds assets that are of value to the private sector.  The private sector gains crucial advantages and new commercial opportunity by bringing financing to the table. When communities provide attachment rights, right-of-way access and other valuable concessions, companies bring amenities and infrastructure upgrades that support the public good. There are tangible benefits and economic development potential with technology-based upgrades. Companies make development decisions based on city amenities and there are compounded economic development benefits when cities step forward on tech development.

Today, Public Private Partnerships (P3s) provide communities with new tools and ways to address their infrastructure challenges. For public authorities and community leaders, for what kinds of projects does it make sense to investigate a P3? And what are some the first steps when considering the P3 route?

Public authorities and community leaders should investigate the use of Public Private Partnerships (P3s) for projects that will allow their governments to strategically share fiscal risk, ensure long-term performance, and further introduce innovation. A long-term, performance-based P3 can also ensure that the private partner is motivated to optimize lifecycle costs and build projects that are more efficient and easier to maintain. The first steps in exploration of a P3 are to identify a cross-functional team with steady leadership by the government sponsors and develop a realistic assessment of the project’s goals, objectives and risks.