IF Canterbury Bankstown is to become a thriving ‘smart city’, it needs to analyse why some initiatives introduced by other governments have been successful, while others have failed.
That’s the opinion of Mayor Khal Asfour who will lead a delegation, including a number of councillors, to the US and Canada this month.
“We have done some significant homework on the best locations which have implemented ‘smart’ initiatives, similar to those we are looking at,” he said.
“We will meet their leaders and discuss lessons learned. We will then be able to apply those to our own Smart Cities Roadmap.”
Seeing new ‘smart city’ technologies being applied first hand, will be another important part of the visit.
“Take the City of Boston for example,” Mayor Asfour said, “It has a ‘Vision Zero’ goal, which aims to end serious traffic accidents by analysing the movement of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
“It is looking to achieve this through a number of initiatives, including the use of cameras, LED lights and sensors, to capture long-term data, to better understand what is happening on its roads.
“Similarly, New York’s smart city initiatives are addressing issues, such as street lighting efficiency, water quality and conservation, waste management and air quality.”
Mayor Asfour says the councillors are so committed to the council’s Smart Cities Roadmap and to be better informed on what is a relatively new approach to service delivery, they will be paying for their travel costs and giving up their own time to participate.
