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There are many advantages to becoming a smart city. But chief among them could be the potential they have for boosting regional economies as the result of the cities being made a more appealing place for businesses and tech-savvy professionals alike.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently announced a Smart Cities policy that would create a new unit for infrastructure finance with the goal in mind of providing the resources needed to create smart cities throughout Australia’s metropolitan regions.

Part of this plan is to create what is being dubbed as “30 minute cities” which describes a city where anyone can commute to work, school, and its various lifestyle services in 30 minutes or less. This would require some major overhauls to Australia’s current transportation system, especially in cities like Melbourne where traffic congestion is a considerable problem.

Turnbull’s Smart Cities Plan is the first of its kind, focused on creating a long-term investment strategy that focuses on major cities and their metropolitan areas. By giving big cities the infrastructure improvements it would need, citizens in the surrounding area will have an easier time traveling through and accessing businesses and services.

Having smart IoT technologies in place such as better traffic sensors tied to a centralized control system, widespread access to fiber connections, and other important advancements lead to a better quality of life for citizens, and a more appealing place for businesses to call home.

Turnbull’s plan is not without its challenges. For one, this is a major investment undertaking which will require the creation of a new infrastructure financing unit. This unit would work closely with the private sector to create financing solutions for these government projects.

Turnbull believes that by investing in smart city infrastructure, the government of Australia will save a lot more in the long run. Exactly how much, is unclear. Smart cities require proper planning from every level of development.

However, a recent estimate from the Bureau of Infrastructure warned that urban traffic congestion alone costs Australians $16.5 billion each year, with a forecasted increase to between $27.7 and $37.7 billion by 2030.

Many cities around the world find themselves in a complicated tug-of-war between modernization, funding, and preserving history. This makes it difficult for some regions to take advantage of the latest trends and technologies that shape our society today.

The trend of devolution going on as more cities are getting newly-elected mayors and power over their infrastructure’s forecasted needs and development creates an opportune time for cities to adopt a new philosophy of city planning.

However, it’s becoming increasingly important that city leaders take into account not only how their infrastructure is being used today, but what the citizens of their cities will need over the next 20-50 years.

More and more people are using services like Uber. Instead of buying your own car and paying a high monthly payment to do so, many city inhabitants find themselves using these services to get around – and often saving a lot money by doing so.

In a thought piece for Construction News, Amanda Clack, head of infrastructure advisory at consulting firm EY and based in the UK, offered insight on how important smart construction is to the development of a “smart” city.

“Charging points for electric vehicles are springing up across UK cities and are fast becoming a familiar sight,” she said of the developments she’s seeing near her. “The sharing economy is also having an impact – with authorities designating parking for car clubs such as Zipcar over private vehicles.”

This means a major shift in how mayors, architects, developers and even contractors think about how they plan their cities.

“It’s about getting the right group of leaders together, from the public and private sector, to create, drive and deliver a vision for their city,” Clack said.

She added that this type of change doesn’t happen overnight, and shouldn’t. Budgets alone would explode if every major city suddenly added facilities for electric vehicle charging and designated spaces for ride sharers to park their vehicles.

However, she pointed out, an evolutionary change – gradual improvements and modernizations – are possible.

If we want our cities to become the trendsetters and most livable places they can be, they need to focus on investing their time and resources into evolving their cities to meet the needs of a modern citizenry.

To most people, air pollution comes from factories and car exhausts, but indoor air quality impacts – from smoke, paints, varnishes, and spores – are quickly becoming a bigger cause for concern.

That’s according to an international team of researchers led by the University of Surrey, who claim the lack of real-time data on indoor air pollution is a major issue that leads to the millions of deaths every year.

“It is essential that we are able to effectively monitor indoor air pollution so that we can better understand when and where levels are worst, and in turn offer solutions to make our air healthier,” said Dr Prashant Kumar of the University of Surrey. “Our work looks at the use of small, low-energy monitoring sensors that would be able to gather real-time data and tell families or workers when levels of pollutants are too high.”

The sensors, according to the report, would help manage indoor air pollution levels and offer advice on how to lower the pollution. Kumar claims that just opening a window can reduce indoor air pollution, but without the relevant data families are in the dark about dangers in their own home.

“We are calling for greater importance to be placed on ensuring buildings are built with indoor pollution monitoring in mind,” said Kumar. “As we enter the age of smart cities this is one way in which technology will actively benefit health. A combination of policy and technology will help ensure that while we are hard at work our buildings are also working to protect us from harmful pollutants that affect both mind and body.”

Forcing homeowners to have sensors fitted into their home might be a tough sell, even in smart cities. We suspect the best way to go about this is subsidizing smart home devices that offer this functionality, which would entice companies like Nest that already track smoke levels with their smoke detector.

An Australian trial of Internet of Things (IoT) technology hopes to get the lowdown from city sewers without workers needing to get knee deep in the muddy waters. This comes as more global smart city initiatives push the frontiers of data collection both above and below ground.

Gizmodo reports that the state of Victoria is working with IT and communications companies to test out Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems in its sewer and water systems. Huawei, Optus and Vodafone are partnering with the state agency South East Water for the trial in urban areas that include Melbourne.

NB-IoT is a low-powered, low-cost radio technology that allows thousands of connected devices and infrastructure elements to gather and share data, regardless of the location. The three-month trial seeks to provide operators with access to granular, real-time data to better the safety, reliability and efficiency of Victoria’s sewer and water infrastructure.

“Through this trial, we are building a platform for a more reliable and sustainable water supply, a safer place for our people to work, and more cost-effective services for our customers,” he said.

The trial will see NB-IoT sensors placed on sewer manhole covers to inform city workers of unauthorized access, to reduce the risk of injury and damage to water assets. NB-IoT technology will also be fitted to rainwater tank management systems to monitor storage levels amid efforts to optimize stormwater runoff and rainwater harvesting.

And NB-IoT will replace existing 3G technology across South East Water’s peninsula early connection option sewer network. The real-time information generated will be used to locate faults across the network and to manage waste water flows.