Infrastructure 2013 Report Released by Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young

Last week, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) held its Spring Meeting in San Diego, California. At the event, Infrastructure 2013: Global Priorities, Global Insights was released, the seventh in a series of global infrastructure reports produced by ULI and Ernst & Young. The 72-page report assesses the state of infrastructure globally and includes research and analyses on the latest trends, challenges, and innovations, along with insights from experts. It includes coverage of the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions.

100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge Announced by The Rockefeller Foundation

On May 14th, The Rockefeller Foundation announced a $100 million commitment to build urban resilience in cities around the world. The Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge will select one hundred cities and, through technical support and resources for developing and implementing plans for urban resilience, help them leverage billions of additional dollars in infrastructure financing.

City of Bremen, Germany, Cuts Energy Consumption and Consolidates Building Management

When the City of Bremen needed to modernize the heating systems in several of its buildings, it analyzed the project and realized an opportunity. Besides improving energy efficiency, there was the potential to implement a new building management system (BMS) that would bring greater control and provide far-reaching positive effects across the city’s extensive portfolio of properties – more than 1,200 municipal facilities covering over 1.8 million square meters (nearly 20 million square feet) of floor space. At the time, six control stations across the city were running a variety of proprietary building control systems, making reporting and sharing of information in a consistent format a challenge, and adding new buildings complicated and costly.

Long Beach Water Department Increases Efficiency with Wonderware SCADA Solution

Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) in Long Beach, California, is responsible for keeping the city's 487,000 residents supplied with clean, good-tasting water that meets stringent federal and state regulations for drinking water quality. As the largest groundwater treatment plant in the U.S., the department’s facility is considered one of the most modern plants in the world. LBWD also operates and maintains nearly 765 miles of sewer lines, removing more than 40 million gallons of wastewater per day from throughout the city and delivering it to Los Angeles County sanitation district facilities.

Timelapse Video of a Smart City at Night

The city of Barcelona, Spain, has been mentioned a few times on this blog. In fact, we kicked off the blog last December with a post about Invensys' participation at the Smart Cities Expo World Congress held there. That major international event will be held in Barcelona again this coming November, and Invensys will be there.

Midnight Barcelona is a stunning timelapse video by Pau García Laita that offers a fast, modern look at the city at night. According to the description on YouTube, more than 20,000 pictures were taken and five months of work required for the project. It is an impressive reminder of city dynamics, and in this case those of a city widely recognized as a leading smart city.

2013 World Airport Awards by Skytrax

Airports are a critical part of the transportation infrastructure. Last month, the 2013 World Airport Awards were announced by air transport rating organization, Skytrax Research of London, UK. The Airport Survey has operated since 1999, and this year it garnered 12.1 million airline passenger nominations, and included 395 airports worldwide. The survey evaluates 39 airport Service and Product key performance indicators - from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate. This year, Singapore Changi Airport came out on top as "The World's Best Airport." This is the fourth time the airport has achieved the top prize; it last claimed victory in 2010.

Remote Monitoring of Transportation Tunnel System in Wuxi, China

Wuxi earned its nickname “Little Shanghai” for its proximity to China’s most populous city and for its booming economy and rapid growth. To manage a complex series of roads, bridges, and tunnels, city officials required a technology management system that could observe and manage tunnel conditions, manage equipment operations including power, lighting, ventilation and drainage, and handle emergency response procedures.

Worldwide Smart City 2013 Top 10 Predictions by IDC Government Insights

The Smart City movement is increasingly a force of innovation and investment at all levels of government. To help government organizations, IDC Government Insights has identified the key trends and business drivers in IT and related technologies that will influence Smart City development for the next 12–18 months.

Global Information Technology Report 2013 Released by World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum recently released The Global Information Technology Report 2013, the 12th in the series. The report is one of the most authoritative assessments of the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) on competitiveness of nations and citizen well-being. It analyses the impact and influence of ICT on economic growth and jobs in a hyperconnected world.