Governments have recognized that by making their cities ‘smarter’ they can cope with increased urbanization and solve many issues that affect the daily lives of its citizens.
The deployment of real-time sensors and smart parking is helping to alleviate congestions problems in major cities – and progressive autonomous programs are also being pursued by city municipalities with the help of technology leaders.
Europe has led the way in relation to having a cohesive and coherent strategy for smart cities – and the European Commission (EC) has in particular played a starring role.
The EC in conjunction with the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (EIP SCC), have helped 78 cities in Europe to undertake a smart city development. The EIP-SCC aims at a critical mass of 300 smart cities by the end of 2019, according to a report by the European Commission.
The European Commission formally announced the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (EIP SCC) in 2012.
Instead of directly providing funding, the EIP SCC is charged with fostering smart city development among cities, industry, citizens, financial institutions and other stakeholders, working together in 6 ‘action clusters’ (citizen focus; business models, finance and procurement; integrated infrastructures and processes; integrated planning, policy and regulations; sustainable districts and built environment; sustainable urban mobility).