By Adele Peters – For decades, Phoenix was the poster child for sprawl: Before the housing crash, developers were building 60,000 new homes a year in the desert at the edges of the city. But when the market fell apart and some of those new neighborhoods turned into instant ghost towns, the city learned its lesson and committed to moving in the other direction–walkable neighborhoods connected by public transit.
With narrower streets, buildings will naturally start to shade the sidewalk. The plan also calls for trees and other plants along streets; despite the fact that Phoenix is in the middle of the desert, it’s located on top of aquifers and also has a hidden system of canals underground that were originally built by the prehistoric Hohokam tribe [2, 3, 4]. more> http://tinyurl.com/o82hx7o
Posted in Business, Economic development, Economy, Energy & emissions, Leadership, Nature, Technology, Transportation
Tagged Business improvement, Climate change, Government, Phoenix, Regulations, Smarter city, United States
Europe Remains Ahead of U.S. in Creating Smart Cities
By Mark Scott – The irrigation systems built into Barcelona’s parks monitor soil moisture and turn on sprinklers when water is needed. And drivers can use a smartphone application to find the nearest available parking spot in the labyrinthine streets.
Barcelona is among a number of European cities adopting new forms of technology aimed at improving services. More important, the investments, including neighborhoodwide high-speed Internet connections and electricity charge points for cars and motorbikes, offer ways to cut energy use and generate income. more> http://tinyurl.com/kxwjb2e
Posted in Broadband, Business, Economic development, Economy, Media, Nature, Net, Science, Technology, telecom, Transportation
Tagged Business improvement, Earth, Ecology, Government, Internet, Leadership, Organization, Smarter city, Technology