How cities are making their infrastructure smart, sustainable, and resilient
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a defining moment for cities, changing how people live, shop, socialize, and travel, along with how businesses get work done. At the same time, it heightened public concerns about the environment and social equity, prompting greater attention from urban leaders and a wider commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As cities map out their future, rethinking their critical infrastructure—from transportation and mobility, to energy, water, and utilities, and to the environment and sustainability—is top of mind. Even before the pandemic, urban infrastructure around the world needed repair. But the pandemic has heightened the need to make infrastructure smarter and greener, as well as more secure and resilient, to meet the evolving demands of citizens, merchants, and businesses operating in a digital-first world.
As city leaders think beyond the pandemic, they need evidence-based roadmaps to help them rebuild their critical infrastructure and ensure it is fit for purpose. This eBook will help cities understand the impact of the pandemic on urban infrastructure plans and the central role of digitization and data analytics in improving mobility and transportation, energy, water, and utilities, and the environment.
This eBook draws on the results of a global study completed in April 2021 by Bentley and ThoughtLab. The study explored how 167 cities—with diverse populations and economies—use smart data and innovation to boost their resilience and achieve their social, environmental, and economic goals. The study spotlights the practices of smart city leaders that are most advanced in digital transformation, data usage, and citizen engagement.
