Thursday 19 May 2016

London among top smart cities in the world

London has been named the third smart city in the world.

New research suggests the capital's key strengths lie in its investment in congestion reduction initiatives.

Some of the congestion and mobility measures are the congestion charge, rollout of smart parking, road sensors and variable message signs in roads, research firm Juniper states.

The UK’s capital was also ranked second out of the top 10 cities for technology, however less than 1% of London’s energy consumption is provided by renewables, while its policies towards energy use reduction is said to be poor compared to cities such as Barcelona.

Singapore has been ranked as the world leader in applying smart mobility policies and technology followed by the Spanish city.

San Franciso and Oslo are in fourth and fifth position.

The research also found deployment of smart grid technologies has found its way onto the agenda for cities across the globe and it is driven by a shift towards renewable energy sources such as solar and wind generation.

North America and parts of Asia in particular are showing "strong investment" in green energy technologies while Europe has seen smart grid progress slower, it adds.