Australia’s capital city Lord Mayors are taking a leadership role in investing and developing technologies and practices that are increasingly transforming our capitals into ‘smart cities’.
The Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) met this week in Darwin, and the development of smart city technologies and culture in our capitals was a major focus of the Lord Mayor’s agenda.
“Smart cities seek to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants by using technology to improve the efficiency of services, better manage city assets, improve the management of traffic and urban flows, reduce costs and resource consumption” said CCCLM Chair, Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim, Lord Mayor of Darwin.
“There is no one model for a smart city in Australia. All cities have aspects which make them great and unique, and will require tailor made initiatives to enhance how we improve city operations, improve the productivity of our CBDs, and enhance the day to day experiences of people who live, work and visit our cities.”
The Federal Government has recently announced a $50m Smart Cities and Suburbs Plan, and have held roundtables in each capital city, with Darwin’s being held on Wednesday to discuss with key stakeholders how to most effectively implement the plan.
“CCCLM believes the Federal Government’s commitment of $50 million is a good initial step towards fostering greater innovation and developing smart solutions that can improve long-standing urban problems.”
“Collaboration between all tiers of Government, as well as with industry, is essential to provide effective and efficient smart city solutions to our communities. The Lord Mayors warmly welcome their engagement in the early stages of designing the Smart City and Suburbs program, as it is the capital city councils which can implement many of the smart city initiatives to be of great benefit to our communities,” the Lord Mayor concluded.