by Brianna Crandall — June 22, 2016 — A new white paper from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 10 leading smart cities in the United Kingdom, highlighting each city’s approaches, key projects, and overall readiness to develop their smart city visions. The research can serve to boost the planning and implementation of smart city strategies in other cities around the world.
In the United Kingdom, a number of cities have become significant proponents of smart city concepts, and many more are now seeking to develop their own smart city plans. Ten cities in this region stand out for the breadth and depth of their smart city strategy and specific programs in areas such as digital innovation, social care, urban mobility, energy, education, and sustainability. According to the white paper, London and Bristol are the U.K.’s leading smart cities.
Eric Woods, research director with Navigant Research, points out:
London and Bristol stand out from the crowd for combining technical innovation with a broader strategy for city development, but there are a number of cities close behind them with strong smart city programs. The message from our research is that more city leaders need to embed the idea of smart capabilities into their urban projects. Cities and central government also need to work together to ensure successful pilot projects are turned into scalable projects that benefit all citizens.
According to the white paper, the most successful smart cities share five common characteristics:
- Strong leadership and vision;
- A focus on local priorities and strengths;
- Engagement with local communities;
- A network of local partnerships; and
- An understanding of the impact of the data revolution on city services.
The white paper, UK Smart Cities Index, was commissioned by Huawei UK, and evaluates the U.K. smart city market, with a focus on two dimensions: Strategy and Execution. The Strategy dimension assesses each city’s vision, goals, and objectives as they relate to its smart city program. The Execution dimension assesses the city’s actual achievements from initial projects to full-blown deployment of innovative technologies and services.
In the report, cities are profiled, rated, and ranked with the goal of providing an objective assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of their smart city programs. The white paper is available for free download on the Navigant Research Web site.
