No New Zealand city is on the list of the world’s recently announced top 18 smartest cities, and the digital divide within local and central government may need to shoulder some of the blame.
When tech platform ZeroBounce ranked the top 18 cities – topped by Dubai – but New Zealand was nowhere to be found and at least one leading digital infrastructure expert believes it’s partly due to decision-makers struggling to bridge the gap into a digital world.
“New Zealand's cities are struggling to implement data-driven solutions that can improve the everyday lives of citizens through improvements to transport, waste management, and public safety,” says Ben Ranley, managing director of Smart City NZ, a company which integrates intelligent digital technologies into urban environments to enhance public safety, energy efficiency, and quality of life.
Ransley says we’re still by and large stuck in processes that are becoming rapidly out of date due to advances in technology. For example, the tendency towards expensive, time-consuming trials is because we are reluctant to adopt technology that has already been tried and tested elsewhere overseas.
New Zealand’s smaller population should, in theory, make smart city implementation easier and more cost-effective.
Cities like Amsterdam, with a central population of 933,000, have successfully integrated smart technology into waste management and public services.
Ransley says transport, waste, and urban planning are prime areas where smart technology can create immediate improvements. Data-driven approaches could reduce congestion, optimise energy use, and make public spaces safer.
"We need to move beyond trials and start committing to the proven technologies that work overseas," says Ransley. “The complexity in decision-making is costing taxpayers and slowing our progress towards a better quality of life.”
One immediate and cost-effective area for improvement is waste management.
Overseas, smart bin technology has dramatically reduced costs and inefficiencies.
These bins use sensors to detect when they need emptying, reducing unnecessary collections by compacting waste up to seven times, saving money and improving cleanliness.
In New Zealand, waste management is often outsourced to contractors who are not incentivised to innovate collection methods. With the right software and strategy, we could cut costs and support cleaner city centres.
1. Set clear goals for smart city development
Without a smart city strategy, cities will continue to stagnate. Leadership needs to be encouraged to define what success looks like and commit to delivering it.
2. Identify deficiencies and invest where it matters
Whether it's waste management, public safety, or transport, smart solutions exist, and cities would benefit from prioritising proven technologies rather than continuously trialling them.
3. Appoint a dedicated team to drive implementation
A specialised department or task force could oversee the rollout of smart city technologies, ensuring efficiency and accountability.
4. Embrace visionary leadership
Cities making the most progress globally have leaders willing to take risks and drive change. In New Zealand, it seems that most of the movement has come from the private sector.
Ransley says New Zealand’s delay in adopting smart city solutions is rooted in complex decision-making processes and lack of dedicated budgets.
While cities like Christchurch have made some progress, the changes have been incremental rather than transformative.
Auckland has ambitions to be the most liveable city, but without a clear and committed strategy, it will struggle to compete globally.
“If we want cleaner, safer, and more efficient cities, we need to look at shifting from on-going discussions and trials, to meaningful action. Smart City technology is not a futuristic dream—it’s already working worldwide,” he says.
Learn more at www.smartcity.co.nz
Ben Ransley says the term smart city can mean many things. But it comes down to using digital technologies and data to improve day-to-day operations and give citizens a better quality of life.
Ransley is the founder and managing director of Smart City, an Auckland-based business focused on transport, waste and urban furniture.
His company works on a project to monitor traffic flows, collecting data to make more informed decisions that increase network efficiency, reduce congestion and improve air quality.
“Being a smart city comes back to monitoring and sensing everything in real time.
“That means we can see how the city moves and how it reacts to things. Then we can roll with the punches in an informed way.
“This is relatively new to Auckland but has been done overseas in places like Beijing, Singapore, Dubai and Seoul. All these cities are developing smart city ecosystems to basically improve the way everything’s run and improve the quality of life for their citizens through all these different technologies and all these different data sets.
“Doing this requires a strategic overview and a change in thinking. We’ve been slow to do that in Auckland.”
Auckland is more advanced in terms of the digital nervous system needed to operate a smart city.
Ransley says it means using a lot of small sensors and devices which collect and process data locally using small built-in Internet-of-Things (IoT) computers.
“They then send the data to a cloud service. Having a 5G network is ideal for that, it means backhaul is easy. Fibre is even better. If you want to stream high resolution video, maybe from a CCTV system, fibre will do that efficiently.
“5G and fibre are the infrastructure needed to support a smart city”.
Auckland Transport approached Ransley and Smart City looking for an innovative way to promote public transport use on key routes during peak hours.
“We were asked to come up with a solution that would help Auckland Transport send a positive message about the benefits of public transport. They wanted to target people on the roads in traffic at peak hours in order to change their thinking about public transport.
The idea was to showcase how much quicker and easier it can be to travel on public transport during those peak times.
“We used roadside real-time travel time messages to show how much faster it would be to get to the central city using public transport when compared to private passenger vehicles.”
Ransley says the message was effective because people get angry sitting in traffic. They would rather spend time with their families than commuting.
Smart City’s role started by using its expertise to dig into the real time traffic data collected by sensors and by trackers installed on buses.
“By displaying this information simply at the side of the road using our SmartVMS (Smart Variable Message Signs) we successfully changed people’s travel behaviour.”
The project was effective, in part because it carried such a simple message.
Ransley says a driver would see the sign and realise that it would be twice as fast to take a bus to town when compared to commuting by car.
“It was exciting to work on and we picked up some great survey results from the trial initiative.
“One interesting piece of feedback from commuters was about the accuracy of the data.”
There was a 96% positive feedback rating on the signs from the public. More importantly, Ransley says: “We had 63% of public transport users say they made changes to how they travel as a result of the messages.
“It goes to show how some smart thinking coupled with practical solutions can quickly make a positive difference.
“The trial was two months long and we were able to make an impact on that many people in such a short time.”
Ransley sees this kind of smart city project as being able to have a positive influence, changing long established behaviour patterns and improving people’s lives in a messy world.
Yet he sees the human side of the project and the thinking behind it as far more important than the technology itself. “You have to think about what we’re trying to achieve and not focus on the flashy components. It meant working closely with the client to ensure we went about it in the right way.
“That meant going back and looking at it from the citizens point of view, putting ourselves in their place and asking: ‘how would I feel about this?’ and ‘how would it benefit me?‘”
Ransley says in the past he has used the SmartVMS technology to handle road detours, to manage driver expectations with messages showing how long it might take to reach the airport or the city centre.
“We had a project in West Auckland along Lincoln Rd, where crews were doing road rejuvenation works. “Typically, you might have VMSs along the road telling drivers that there are roadworks ahead and they might consider taking these alternative routes. It’s useful, but it doesn’t give the road user much information.
“We wanted to improve the road user experience giving them more meaningful and actionable insight into what’s actually going on up ahead.
“So we used our smart traffic system to define alternative detour routes, then collect the travel times along these routes and display them on the signs in real time. They are updated every 10 minutes.
“So when a road user reaches the signs they can see their options.
“This puts the decision-making back into the road user’s hands.
“This effectively minimises congestion through roadworks and optimises travel time.”
From there Ransley moved on to similar work helping road users navigate the Eastern Busway project. This involved pulling down real time data to help people make more informed decisions about their journeys.
In this case Ransley says it meant 5% of drivers switched to taking public transport, which resulted in a meaningful reduction in overall congestion.
In today’s digital age, access to the internet has become a necessity. With the endless array of capabilities and the rise of the Internet of Things, internet access is not just a luxury or a form of entertainment but a tool for education, communication, and even work. Unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege of owning a personal device with internet capabilities or the means to pay for a data plan, which is why free public Wi-Fi in cities is more important than ever. We discuss why we should have free public Wi-Fi, how it can bridge the digital divide and the challenges of implementing such a system.
Public Wi-Fi can be easily accessed from various locations such as parks, libraries, shopping malls, restaurants, and public transportation stations. This easy access enables commuters to stay connected to the internet and communicate with their friends and family, regardless of their financial situation and location. Free public Wi-Fi provides undoubted convenience for those who need to work or study on the go. Individuals can stay connected while moving around the city without additional data charges.
When travelling, tourists are more incentivised to visit a location if it has free public Wi-Fi. Not only does this allow them to stay in contact with their family and friends, but they can also check travel information and local events in their areas without purchasing an additional data SIM card. They can also share their experiences with others in real time, helping to promote the city and its offerings. This, in turn, can lead to more tourists visiting the city, which can positively impact the local economy.
Free public Wi-Fi in cities provides access to educational resources for those who cannot afford it. Students will benefit from this, and individuals from underprivileged backgrounds can also access online educational resources, including courses, eBooks, and research papers, making learning more accessible to everyone. Free public Wi-Fi promotes lifelong learning and encourages people to explore their interests from anywhere at any time.
Promoting social inclusion is a critical reason why we should have free public Wi-Fi in cities. Providing internet access to people living in low-income areas or developing countries where internet access may be limited or expensive can help bridge the digital divide immensely, reducing the gap between those with access to technology and those without. In addition to helping people stay connected to their communities and the world regardless of their financial status, they can access educational resources, employment opportunities, and other crucial services online. This can help them overcome barriers by giving them access to things they otherwise would not have and the ability to improve their social status.
Monetising free Wi-Fi is a significant challenge, as people expect it to be a free and best-effort service. This expectation means that users are not willing to pay for Wi-Fi services, and governments or private companies must cover the cost of deployment and maintenance of the infrastructure.
Another challenge is the setup of the infrastructure. While it might seem easy in theory, in practice, there are several factors to consider, such as location, coverage, signal strength, and capacity. Providing secure and reliable Wi-Fi services also requires significant investment in technology, equipment, and personnel.
To solve these challenges, governments can partner with private companies to fund and deploy the infrastructure, with the private sector handling the monetisation and management of the Wi-Fi services. They can also regulate and standardise the provision of public Wi-Fi to ensure that the services are secure, reliable, and accessible to all.
Start your journey to a more interconnected society today with Smart City, New Zealand’s answer to smart city technologies and solutions of the future. The Smart Bench is solar-powered urban furniture equipped with mobile-charging capabilities, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and environmental sensing data, enabling patrons and commuters a place to rest and connect with the world. Not only is it easily maintained, but it is also a 100% standalone system that works around the clock in all weather conditions. Want to find out more? Reach out to us today.
Air pollution is a major issue in cities worldwide and poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of citizens, the environment, and economic growth. Smart cities, which leverage technology to improve urban life, have a unique opportunity to address air pollution and enhance air quality. We discuss the sources of air pollution in a city, their impacts, and how smart city planning can reduce air pollution significantly.
Traffic is a major source of air pollution, especially older diesel fuel engines, which release high amounts of particulate matter.
Natural fossil fuels like wood, charcoal, and coal burn in large-scale coal-fired power plants or home-based heating and cooking systems. These processes produce large quantities of pollutants into the environment, which can increase the risk of respiratory diseases.
Factory processes like dyeing or tanning clothes use chemical solvents and release toxic gas waste as a by-product into the atmosphere.
The use of pesticides, nitrogen-rich fertiliser, and livestock waste culminates in high quantities of ammonia in the surrounding air.
Air pollution in cities can cause short-term discomforts like throat and eye irritation or minor illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis. It can also cause long-term and more severe impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular health, like increased risks of lung cancer and heart disease. Children, the elderly, and low-income communities are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and acid rain can affect ecosystems, natural resources, and overall planet health.
The culmination of health and environmental effects can lead to increased healthcare costs, a loss in productivity, and damage to crops and natural resources, contributing significantly to economic loss for individuals and companies alike.
Internet of Things (IoT) devices like advanced air quality monitoring systems can identify pollution hotspots in real time and provide data analytics to understand how they develop. Smart cities can use this information to make data-driven decisions and develop targeted interventions to improve air quality and promote sustainable practices.
Intelligent traffic management systems and ride-sharing apps can reduce traffic congestion and emissions by optimising traffic flow and promoting public transportation and alternative modes of transport. Cities can also provide incentives to encourage the use of electric vehicles and reduce the number of emissions generated by petrol cars.
Renewable energy technologies, like solar and wind power, and energy storage solutions, such as batteries, can replace fossil fuels and reduce emissions from energy production. Implementing more green infrastructure, such as green roofs and urban forests, can reduce air pollution in cities.
Smart City is the solution to smart living in New Zealand. Our innovative technologies, like smart city devices, roadside systems, and innovative technical software, offer a better and more sustainable way of life. Take the first step to reducing air pollution in cities; talk to our expert consultants today!
A side effect of an ever-increasing world population, traffic congestion is a major problem in many cities worldwide. Traffic congestion contributes to an essential portion of working hours spent trapped on the roadway, which not only serves as a source of daily frustration and stress for commuters but can also harm the environment and economy. From encouraging carpooling to implementing intelligent traffic management systems, we discuss how to reduce traffic congestion in cities for improved movement efficiency.
Public transportation systems like trains and buses can carry large amounts of people, significantly reducing the number of cars on the road. Cities can reduce traffic congestion by making public transport more accessible and attractive to commuters by lowering fares, increasing the frequency of vehicles, and improving the service quality. Walking and cycling can also be encouraged as alternative methods of travel by providing safe and well-lit infrastructure like dedicated cycle lanes or walkways.
Road pricing charges drivers according to their use of roads, especially during peak hours. This can discourage drivers from using their cars during congested times in favour of other forms of transportation, reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Cities can reduce traffic congestion by implementing different road pricing schemes, such as congestion charges, tolls, and pay-per-mile systems.
Telecommuting or working from home can reduce traffic congestion in cities significantly. By working remotely, employees do not need to commute to their workplace, reducing the number of cars on the road. This method also brings benefits such as an improved work-life balance, reduced commuting costs, and lower carbon emissions. Employers and employees can work together to implement telecommuting policies, such as having regular virtual meetings and providing the necessary equipment for remote work.
Carpooling involves sharing a ride with one or more passengers with a similar destination, while car-sharing involves renting a car for a short period. Commuters can cut down on the time they spend driving their cars or forgo the need for personal vehicles entirely. Carpooling and car-sharing feature benefits such as reduced commuting costs, improved social connections, and lower carbon emissions. Cities can reduce traffic congestion by developing dedicated apps to facilitate the process and offering incentives for using them.
Introducing smart infrastructure like the Smart Radar, which uses sensors for vehicle and traffic tracking, can help improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. The data collected by this intelligent traffic management system provides drivers with real-time information on traffic updates and alternative routes to help them plan their journey more effectively.
Traffic congestion is a significant issue affecting people, the environment, and the economy. We must take action to improve traffic flow and create a better quality of life for all. Smart City is the solution for cities of the future. Our innovative and futuristic solutions are sustainable and help improve the lives of everyday citizens. Want to learn how to reduce congestion in your city? Contact us for more information on our products and services, and we’ll help you take the first step.
Smart city mobility refers to using modes of transportation that allow people to go about their lives easily. City mobility is becoming more important than ever as it significantly influences your quality of life. However, it goes beyond getting from point A to B. Successful city mobility also means the ability to participate in society.
It means conveniently accessing education, employment, and leisure using advanced, swift, efficient, and sustainable transport options. The more people can utilise good-quality mass transit, the more efficient and productive our everyday lives become.
If you want to bring a new way of living, start with city mobility. We discuss what successful city mobility looks like and how modern technologies solve everyday challenges.
City or urban mobility makes it easier for people to travel. Here are some examples of how city mobility is changing cities:
In highly dense cities, cars dominate roads. They take up a lot of space and cause traffic jams, impacting the overall productivity of individuals. With smart city mobility, traffic engineers can invest in smart radars to obtain geographical information. This data allows them to create roads and improve traffic flow, reducing congestion.
Too many cars on the road can increase noise and air pollution. The fumes emitted by vehicles are damaging to our environmental and physical health. With smart city mobility, more individuals will opt for public transportation, helping to improve the city’s air quality.
Smart city mobility that includes smart cameras enables residents to feel safer while going to their destinations. Police officers can monitor public streets, roads, and highways, increasing security and safety.
Smart cities’ use of sensors to control streetlights, parking meters, and more allows urban cities to save on resources such as gas, energy, and workforce costs.
Thanks to advancing technology, personal mobility devices, applications, and software exist for intelligent traffic management. There are radars for real-time traffic data and autonomous cars that make smart city mobility possible.
From faster transit times and cleaner air to improved safety, these are some of the many tools that improve urban mobility:
Digital highways that use radars allow city heads or traffic planners to collect and analyse real-time traffic data for better traffic management. One example is SmartTraf. It uses the most advanced radar technology for traffic management. SmartTraf lets you pull valuable real-time traffic statistics data to understand how your transport networks move and operate.
AI-driven public transport solutions help passengers obtain real-time information on bus timings, road work, service disruptions, and estimated arrival times. This way, passengers can manage their time more efficiently.
AI solutions that connect sidewalks and cycle paths to other transit solutions improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on roads. Prioritising cyclists encourages more people to walk or cycle, reducing traffic congestion.
Smart parking management apps let residents know the most convenient parking spot. There are also shared mobility solutions that reserve parking spaces for car-sharing drivers. This system eases congestion and reduces the time to look for public parking and fuel consumption.
V2I, or Vehicle-to-Infrastructure technology, allows vehicles to exchange information. Vehicles can send road congestion data, weather alerts, and other road safety information for better coordination and improved safety.
Smart transportation solutions improve urban mobility and make a real difference in our everyday lives. A successful smart city mobility system makes everyday living more convenient and sustainable.
At Smart City, this is our mission. We create innovative solutions that increase cities’ efficiency, improving residents’ quality of life. We offer a range of solutions, including roadside technologies, IoT consulting, and data visualisation to make smart city mobility possible. If you want to design a smart city and support your community, contact us to learn more about our products and services.
