New initiative to support smart cities in the UK

The UK's cities will receive help to get smart, thanks to the launch of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' new Smart Cities Forum. It comes as a new report values the smart cities industry at more than US$400 billion globally by 2020, with the UK expected to gain a ten per cent share (US$40 billion). The 'Global Market Opportunities and UK Capabilities for future smart cities' report highlights how this technology could transform lives and provide a huge economic boost.
October 10, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The UK's cities will receive help to get smart, thanks to the launch of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' new Smart Cities Forum.

It comes as a new report values the smart cities industry at more than US$400 billion globally by 2020, with the UK expected to gain a ten per cent share (US$40 billion).  The 'Global Market Opportunities and UK Capabilities for future smart cities' report highlights how this technology could transform lives and provide a huge economic boost.

The Smart Cities Forum has been established, chaired by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts and Cities Minister Greg Clark, and with representatives from cities, business, and scientists, to ensure that the UK does not miss out on the opportunities offered by smart cities.

Willetts said: "The opportunity to develop new technologies for smart cities in the UK is massive. We want to make sure that we are at the forefront of this digital revolution so we can stay ahead in the global race designing new innovations in the UK and exporting them across the world.”

Volker Buscher, Arup Director and Smart Cities Forum member, who wrote the report, said: "By 2050, the human population will have reached nine billion people with 75 per cent of the world's inhabitants living in cities. Smart technologies can help address some of the challenges of rapid urbanisation by improving services and managing their efficiency.”
Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Arup’s vision of urban mobility in 2050
    May 6, 2015
    Arup’s vision of the Future of Highways considers a wide range of factors that will impact on mobility towards the middle of the century. In its consideration of the Future of Highways through to 2050, international consultants Arup has taken a broad and pragmatic view of where society is heading and the effects that will have on the transport requirements. In terms of major drivers it not only cites
    Read More
  • Venkat Sumantran: ‘Smart cities are more hype than reality’
    November 23, 2018
    For all the talk of smart cities, investment in systems lags significantly behind organic expansion in most places. Andrew Stone talks to Venkat Sumantran, who has been looking at how to create a coherent framework which could help authorities answer multiple mobility questions Two megatrends are posing unprecedented challenges to those trying to keep people moving around the world’s urban areas now - and in the years and decades to come. The first is rapid urbanisation. One in six of us lived in urban a
    Read More
  • IEEE Smart Cities Initiative
    March 27, 2014
    The United Nations predicts a near doubling of city dwellers by 2050 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is inviting municipalities preparing for an increase in urban residents to join its Smart Cities Initiative. A municipality selected for the Initiative will have the opportunity to work with a team of IEEE experts who will collaborate with members of the public, private and volunteer sectors to explore the issues and address what’s needed to prepare for ever-increasing urb
    Read More
  • Finland to help Vietnam develop smart cities
    October 23, 2014
    Speaking at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City, Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Vanpaavuori said that that his country would help Viet Nam achieve ambitious targets for smart and green cities by providing assistance in sustainable urban planning, industrial design, clean technologies and digital services, along with education and training.
    Read More

Highlighted Content