Is this the world's first crowdsourced smart city?
Source: Smart Cities World on October 19, 2016
Citizens and partners will work together to develop innovations that respond to the city’s residents’ aspirations
The Dutch city of Eindhoven is introducing participatory planning that allows its residents to be part of every step of its smart city project to improve the quality of life in their community.
It has also chosen Philips Lighting as a key partner to provide the urban lighting infrastructure required to bring its vision of a smart and sustainable city to life.
The city will draw on the expertise of the government, academia and businesses to address its needs and has formed a partnership with the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e), Philips Lighting and Heijmans, which specialises in developing roads infrastructure, civil engineering and non-residential buildings.
This so-called “Quadruple Helix” of partners will work together for a period of 15 years to develop innovations that respond to the residents’ aspirations.
The project, Roadmap Urban Lighting Eindhoven 2030, includes the development of innovative lighting applications in public spaces, such as connected LED street lighting, and the maintenance and management of public lighting in the municipality. The consortium starts work in the autumn of 2016 in five selected pilot areas across the city.
City officials believe many of the issues raised by voters can be addressed through lighting itself or via smart technology delivered through the lighting infrastructure. Technology like connected street lighting in combination with other smart systems, sensors and intelligence will turn the lighting infrastructure into an information highway that will enable numerous other benefits and services for residents.
For example, the city may opt for piloting technologies that enable lighting to guide emergency services accurately to incidents or within meters of individuals in need. Alternatively, smart sensors in each LED luminaire may be utilised to adapt the lighting to weather conditions or provide light on demand when people are on the streets at night to improve safety.