Drones monitor construction progress. Robots probe the sewer system for insights into human health. Streetlights maximize street parking and report on air pollution.
These innovations are not taken from the storyline of a sci-fi series. They are real technologies in use in so-called “smart cities,” and they have the power to transform urban life in America.
“The 20th century city was really inefficient,” says Dennis Frenchman, Professor of Urban Design and Planning at MIT. “As startups develop new technology, and municipalities connect with innovators, we’re on our way to getting far more value out of the existing systems that comprise a city.”