Collecting real-time information will be as essential to building the city 2.0 as coordinating the top-down integration of infrastructure systems. A new city in Portugal will use more than 100 million sensors to build its feedback loop.
Boyd Cohen describes how a new planned city for 225,000 inhabitants being developed in Portugal, called PlanIT Valley, intends to become "a living laboratory for new technologies" by establishing a robust feedback loop. According to Cohen, planners are expecting to install more than 100 million sensors in the city, or the equivalent of nearly 450 sensors per capita.
"The sensors will be used for a whole range of services, including smart
transit and parking; emergency services dispatching; energy monitoring
and management in smart buildings; and monitoring infrastructure
condition and performance. Sensors in homes will be set up to identify
water leaks and will be capable of autonomously notifying a plumber."
With leading smart city technology companies such as Cisco, Microsoft, and Philips involved in the development of the city, Cohen notes that "It will be interesting to see
what the future holds for these new cities and how existing cities can
learn from these experiments."
"It will also be interesting to see how
cities like PlanIT balance the power of one million sensors with
citizens' privacy needs, while also embracing diversity and feeling
alive--not just like robotic, high-tech laboratories."
FULL STORY: Baking Innovation Into New Smart Cities
Coronavirus Geography: Denmark Could Be an Omicron Harbinger
Denmark is one of three countries that experts suggest watching to determine how the Omicron wave will affect the U.S. and other well-vaccinated nations. Cases are surging notwithstanding having 78% of its population fully vaccinated.
The Practical Confessions of an Urbanist Pilgrim
After 12 days of walking the Portuguese Camino, the importance of many urban planning and development debates—from balanced growth to banning cars—became abundantly clear.
Fostering Global Tourism Without Destroying Cities
More people than ever are traveling, but cities around the world are struggling to keep up. A new declaration aims to balance the benefits and challenges of tourism.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie