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The Ipswich City Council, located in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, recently announced plans to move forward with a “smart city” agenda.

Global consulting firm Accenture has been selected to manage this transformation and help implement plans. Blueprints will be developed to improve community engagement, examine city operations and grow digital technology.

See Also: Smart cities require smart construction

Councilor Paul Pisasale, mayor of Ipswich, stated that the initiative is an effort to create more jobs, establish a flourishing economy, utilize data to anticipate and help prevent problems and digitize city services to improve the overall functioning of the city as a whole.

“We are a city which leads by example, embracing the positive impact of technology and digital trends for the benefit of our local businesses and community,” Pisasale said.  “We really believe digital cities are better enabled by digital governments who are not afraid to adopt a more human-centered approach in order to better serve their citizens.”

Accenture was chosen for this project based on their vast global ‘Smart City’ experience, expert knowledge in the industry and analytical skills. Having worked with clients in over 120 countries, Accenture offers a vast array of services and solutions.  The company focus for this current project will be to identify and develop new strategies to both maintain and improve the city, making it a safer, more connected and productive city to live in.

Accenture’s Health & Public Service Leader for Australia and New Zealand, Catherine Garner,  explained, “Rather than proposing a product driven, technology-centric solution, we have embedded our consulting and strategic approach around the vision and needs of the Ipswich community. Innovation is at the heart of a strong economy. When done well, it keeps a city competitive, cutting edge, creates jobs and maintains a high standard of living.”

Australia is currently pushing to upgrade cities across the continent to employ the latest smart technologies.

Ipswich is one of Australia’s most rapidly growing regions and it has developed a reputation for being a progressive and motivated city.  This new ‘Smart City’ project may set the standard for other cities to follow suit.