Smart city development has just received a new boost in the United States with the formation of the National Smart Coalition Partnership. This national network, one of the largest in the country, represents an opportunity to raise funds as well as a new way for the different states involved to move forward through cooperation.
Last week several regional smart city development organizations in the United States announced that they were coming together to form the National Smart Coalition Partnership (NSCP), one of the largest major networks of this type in the country. Consisting of companies, universities and more than 100 local governments, the members will come together to address common challenges facing cities on issues of connectivity, cybersecurity, transportation, environment or resilience.
This association of organizations primarily encompasses networks in six states: the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, the Southern Arizona Smart Region, Smart North Florida, the North Texas Innovation Alliance, the Illinois Association of Smart Cities and Regions, KC Digital Drive (Kansas City) and the Phoenix area consortium The Connective.
"By coming together in partnership, we can evaluate the best ways to address shared challenges, as well as the barriers that inhibit the deployment of solutions," explained Jen Sanders, NTXIA Executive Director. "The goal of the National Smart Coalitions Partnership is to advance learnings, build connections, and ultimately, together, identify approaches that will improve quality of life in cities and towns throughout the country."
Opportunity to raise funds
The general public's understanding and conception of what a smart city is and does remains a bit hazy. With this consortium, the smart city actors will conduct workshops and conferences, set up training for members as well as inter-regional projects.
The aim of this consortium is to foster collaboration, but also to find sources of funding. The creation of the NSCP comes at a time when Congress is currently debating a project to invest in the country's infrastructure.
"Without a regional, collaborative approach across jurisdictions, new technology solutions will never reach the scale or standardization required to improve complex civic issues. The National Smart Coalitions Partnership will unite already-established regional ecosystems of civic innovators across the country to accelerate the entire smart cities industry and keep America competitive," outlined Tyler Svitak, Executive Director of Colorado Smart Cities Alliance.
