Smart Cities for Real People

Accelerating urbanization of the population and the emergence of new smart sensors (the Internet of Things) are combining in the phenomenon of the smart city. This movement is leading to improved quality of life and public safety, helping cities to enjoy economies that help remedy some budget overruns, better health care, and is resulting in increased productivity. The following report summarizes evolving digital technology trends, including smart phone applications, mapping software, big data and sensor miniaturization and broadband networking, that combine to create a technology toolkit available to smart city developers, managers and citizens. As noted above, the benefits of the smart city are already evident in some key areas as the technology sees actual implementation, 30 years after the creation of the broadband cable modem. The challenges of urbanization require urgent action and intelligent strategies. The applications and tools that truly benefit the people who live in cities will depend not on just the tools, but their intelligent application given current systemic obstacles, some of which are highlighted in the article. Of course, all the emerging technologies mentioned are dependent on ubiquitous, economical, reliable, safe and secure networks (wired and wireless) and network service providers

Door to door: Future of the vehicle future of the city

International audienceLes véhicules écologiques et la communication numérique embarquée, à l’ère des flux intelligents et de l’Internet des objets, transforment l’architecture et la ville contemporaines. Door to door, Futur du véhicule, futur urbain, repense les situations urbaines, théorise et imagine les modèles futurs de développement, les nouveaux programmes architecturaux qui en découlent. Il propose et présente les « espaces de l’accès », l’extension-multiplication de l’accessibilité « porte-à-porte » sur six métropoles européennes, et la fonction réparatrice de ces nouveaux outils de « l’auto-mobilité » communicante, résolvant par leur usage les dysfonctionnements urbains.Le parking devient un programme d’avenir pour l’architecture, tandis que le Véhicule Ecologique Communicant (VEC), un outil bientôt automate, ni bruyant, ni sale, côtoie humains, nature et animaux dans les bâtiments – le partage des présences et des activités dans un « grand espace commun ». Le VEC est l’exemple le plus puissant de l’interaction entre la pratique des territoires urbanisés et les TIC. Il est le marqueur le plus incisif du retour du modèle des flux pour penser l’urbain, sous une forme cohérente avec la demande ou les injonctions de la société des échanges et du partage qui s’est mise en marche : la mobilité-accessibilité est redevenue le programme premier, la structure du futur. Que devient l’urbain lorsque l’accès en est le trait le plus dominant ? Les « pôles d’accessibilité et d’échange » sont des dispositifs de transformation de la vie urbaine, qu’ils reconfigurent pour plus de confort et d’efficacité.L’arrivée des nouveaux véhicules accélère ainsi l’interférence entre l’urbanisme des usages et des services et l’urbanisme spatial. A ce niveau, les véhicules sont équivalents à des bâtiments

Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical ReportOVERVIEW: Transportation connects Boston’s workers, residents and tourists to their livelihoods, health care, education, recreation, culture, and other aspects of life quality. In cities, transit access is a critical factor determining upward mobility. Yet many urban transportation systems, including Boston’s, underserve some populations along one or more of those dimensions. Boston has the opportunity and means to expand mobility access to all residents, and at the same time reduce GHG emissions from transportation. This requires the transformation of the automobile-centric system that is fueled predominantly by gasoline and diesel fuel. The near elimination of fossil fuels—combined with more transit, walking, and biking—will curtail air pollution and crashes, and dramatically reduce the public health impact of transportation. The City embarks on this transition from a position of strength. Boston is consistently ranked as one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the nation, and one in three commuters already take public transportation. There are three general strategies to reaching a carbon-neutral transportation system: • Shift trips out of automobiles to transit, biking, and walking;1 • Reduce automobile trips via land use planning that encourages denser development and affordable housing in transit-rich neighborhoods; • Shift most automobiles, trucks, buses, and trains to zero-GHG electricity. Even with Boston’s strong transit foundation, a carbon-neutral transportation system requires a wholesale change in Boston’s transportation culture. Success depends on the intelligent adoption of new technologies, influencing behavior with strong, equitable, and clearly articulated planning and investment, and effective collaboration with state and regional partners.Published versio

Through the clouds : urban analytics for smart cities

Data has been collected since mankind, but in the recent years the technical innovations enable us to collect exponentially growing amounts of data through the use of sensors, smart devices and other sources. In her lecture Nanda will explore the role of Big Data in urban environments. She will give an introduction to the world of Big Data and Smart Cities, and an assessment of the role that data analytics plays in the current state of the digital transformation in our cities. Examples are given in the field of energy and mobility

The Critical Role of Public Charging Infrastructure

Editors: Peter Fox-Penner, PhD, Z. Justin Ren, PhD, David O. JermainA decade after the launch of the contemporary global electric vehicle (EV) market, most cities face a major challenge preparing for rising EV demand. Some cities, and the leaders who shape them, are meeting and even leading demand for EV infrastructure. This book aggregates deep, groundbreaking research in the areas of urban EV deployment for city managers, private developers, urban planners, and utilities who want to understand and lead change

The future of the urban street in the united states: visions of alternative mobilities in the twenty-first century

This dissertation is concerned with the present and future of urban streets in the United States. The goal is to document and analyze current visions, policies, and strategies related to the form and use of American urban streets. The dissertation examines current mobility trends and offers a framework for organizing visions of the future of urban streets, evaluating them through three lenses: safety, comfort, and delight: assessing physical conditions in accordance with livability standards toward sustainable development. At the same time, it demonstrates the way 12 scenarios (NACTO Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism, Sidewalk Labs: Quayside Project, Public Square by FXCollaborative, AIANY Future Street, The National Complete Street Coalition, Vision Zero, Smart Columbus, Waymo by Alphabet, The Hyperloop, Tesla “Autopilot,” Ford City of Tomorrow, SOM City of Tomorrow) have intentionally or unintentionally influenced contemporary use of American urban streets. Ultimately, the study shows that while sustainable alternative mobilities continue to emerge, the dominance of the automobility system has led to a stagnation of sustainable urban street development in the United States

TECHNOLOGY OF MOBILITY HUBS IN AUTOPIAN FUTURISTIC CITIES

Utopias envision perfect societies, however in practice, when imperfect humans attempt perfection they fail miserably. Hence, if Utopia means no place, then Autopia is the alternative place where progress is steadfast and measured by securing a better world for tomorrow. In 2012, the UN issued a report stating that population growth will increase exponentially, reaching up to 9 billion by 2040. The report also states that melted ice due to global warming will eventually cover up to 7% of the world’s land. At this rate, humans will require three times the earth’s land area to keep up with their required resources, otherwise they will be faced with the scarcity of all resources. If nations are overwhelmed with problems of scarcity, then more conflicts will arise. Therefore, it seems that either war or the environment will be the causes of humans’ downfall, making us all competitors in our fight for survival. Therefore, this research aims to explore automation and design strategies of mobility hubs of the futures to achieve self-sustained cities, in an attempt to secure a more humane world for all. It assumes that such technological applications and cybernetics will have the humans’ and environmental concerns at heart. To achieve this aim, the paper used a scientific methodology, based on literature review by analyzing the potential of one case study near the sea, through exploring methods of visual thinking documented by sketches, computational design, and advanced simulation. As a conclusion emphasizing automation as a mean to liberate man from his daily survival needs in order to pursue higher goals and knowledge, which will achieve a society with equal abundance and equity for all

Networking Transportation

Networking Transportation looks at how the digital revolution is changing Greater Philadelphia's transportation system. It recognizes several key digital transportation technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, connected and automated vehicles, digital mapping, Intelligent Transportation Systems, the Internet of Things, smart cities, real-time information, transportation network companies (TNCs), unmanned aerial systems, and virtual communications. It focuses particularly on key issues surrounding TNCs. It identifies TNCs currently operating in Greater Philadelphia and reviews some of the more innovative services around the world. It presents four alternative future scenarios for their growth: Filling a Niche, A Tale of Two Regions, TNCs Take Off, and Moore Growth. It then creates a future vision for an integrated, multimodal transportation network and identifies infrastructure needs, institutional reforms, and regulatory recommendations intended to help bring about this vision