There's a Smarter Way to Run Our Cities

Have you ever sat in rush hour traffic -- which adds up to about a work week annually for the average American, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report-- and thought, "There's got to be a better way?" The same sentiment might apply to coping with annual summer power shortages, broken water mains that cause flooded streets, or horrendous lines at the motor vehicles bureau.

We've all sensed that there must be a way to improve the way our cities work -- and there is.

So what is the answer then? A whole new approach to how we link together all of a city's systems and how we build "intelligence" into those systems so that we can predict what will happen in various situations. Whether it's "smart" highway systems that redirect drivers around traffic accidents or 24/7 availability of online municipal forms to prevent the need to stand in long lines at City Hall to file paper forms, solutions like these should be adopted sooner rather than later as city populations continue to soar.

The transportation systems, energy grids, health care systems, water systems and many other elements that underpin the average American city are part of aging infrastructures that were built over the past century and a half to support much smaller populations. A lot has changed: Today, more than 50 percent of the world's population lives in cities and each year we are adding the equivalent of eight cities the size of New York City to the planet. Unfortunately, many of these cities are at a breaking point and their infrastructures are bursting at the seams.

At the same time that urban populations are growing, the National League of Cities says that income from tax revenues is declining, making it more difficult for cities to stay on track with modernization projects.

The good news is that some cities are beginning to make progress in solving these and related problems. They are evolving into "smarter cities," with bold and innovative approaches to reducing costs, managing resources better and serving citizens more efficiently. We should celebrate their successes and see where lessons learned can be applied in other municipalities around the country.

The Memphis Police Department has enhanced its crime-fighting techniques by using predictive analytics software and reduced serious crime by more than 30 percent -- including a 15 percent reduction in violent crime -- since 2006. The police department is now able to evaluate incident patterns throughout Memphis and predict hot spots of criminal activity so it can proactively allocate resources and deploy personnel, which has made the police force more effective and has increased public safety.

The city of Chesapeake, Va., which is one of the larger cities in Virginia with 353 square miles, is using software to build a smarter city for its more than 200,000 residents. New technology will enhance public services ranging from the maintenance and operations of traffic signals and water systems, as well as management of the city's fire and police departments. By analyzing data and sharing the findings across departments, the city of Chesapeake is able to detect and react to potential problems more quickly.

Memphis and Chesapeake are great examples of how cities can take advantage of technology to provide citizens with a better place to live. Intelligent systems can save precious government dollars and have shown to have a strong return on investment. In this economy, the business of government doesn't necessarily mean cutting public services, but should mean transforming the way they are delivered. Municipalities can use the money saved from water or energy leaks by fixing outdated delivery methods to pay for updated systems.

Having a city-wide strategy may be both the hardest and most important step in making a city more intelligent. Such a strategy helps city leaders to determine where and when to invest their money and provides a means to project milestones and the return on investment when they are achieved.

By defining what makes their city special, city leaders -- and the people who reside within those municipalities -- can define their economic and social goals, and use technology to help make them a reality. We'll all be better off for it.