Greenwich sets out smart city strategy

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has launched a strategy that shows how it intends to adopt ‘smart city’ approaches to overcome future challenges.

The local council’s Smart City Strategy sets out its vision for a modern infrastructure, a high value, high skilled economy and ‘smarter’ delivery of services to residents across the borough.

According to the council, this will help address challenges such as demographic change, the rising cost of healthcare, traffic congestion and high levels of emissions, as well as the need to improve employment prospects and the quality of work.

Councillor Denise Hyland, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: In the face of the rapid increase in the borough’s population and in the face of globalisation and technological change, we have to invest in the future and face these challenges head on, right now.

We have to invest in a modern built environment, in globally competitive connectivity, in the skills of our people, and in the transformation of our own public services to meet the needs of all our citizens, young and old.

The Smart City Strategy is our blueprint to take Royal Greenwich into the future. This comprehensive approach to delivering a smarter borough is not an option — it is a necessity. There is no alternative.

The strategy focuses on four areas:

  • Transforming neighbourhoods and communities — focusing on the needs of citizens as neighbourhoods are transformed by a 33% increase in population, a radical change in shopping habits and the possibility of autonomous vehicles in urban environments.
  • Transforming infrastructure — the council will develop a strategy to deliver ultra-fast broadband to all parts of the borough. It will also work with the Digital Built Britain Task Force to develop an application of Building Information Modelling in borough developments. 
  • Transforming public services — the council will review the structure of services and pilot new innovative approaches. 
  • Transforming the Greenwich economy — attracting future-thinking companies to the borough, which could create new jobs for local people and help to sustain and drive the local economy 

The council is already working in partnership with technology-based companies located in the borough and is keen to attract more. It is also working with other smart cities in Europe, such as Bordeaux, Milan, Santander, Lisbon, Riga and Ülemiste in Estonia.

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