Late last year, the White House announced a new “Smart Cities” initiative that will invest over $160 million to help local communities solve key issues of city living and plan for a more sustainable future. As part of the larger initiative, a program called Envision America was designed to encourage local leaders to plan for the smart city of the future. Last week, delegations from 10 winning U.S. communities teamed up with experts from corporate allies and academic partners to diagnose needs, workshop solutions and develop smart new initiatives for their proposed plans.
Communities participating in Envision America include: Cambridge, Mass.; Dallas; Greenville, S.C.; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; New York City; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; and Spokane, Wash. Corporate allies include Autodesk (an AISC Member), who is lending its technological expertise to leaders from Portland, Cambridge, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Greenville, to accelerate the use of sustainable solutions for a feasible, scalable and realistic pathway to creating a smarter city – with each these cities’ unique challenges and goals in mind.
Project proposals from each city can be found on the Envision America website at http://envisionamerica.org/city-selection.