Developments in recent months at the city of Columbus, Ohio, provide prominent examples of ways in which the utility industry has been playing an increasingly important role in facilitating smart-city related improvements and related that revitalize more than infrastructure—they revitalize the quality of life for people who live in urban areas.
Columbus, which proudly proclaims its status as the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, was the winner of the U.S. Department of Traffic’s Smart City Challenge, which includes plans increase EV usage fourfold and transform Columbus into a magnet for public-private partnerships for smart city related initiatives.
The project will bridge digital divides and connect people with jobs. Beyond installing electric vehicle infrastructure Columbus will convert public fleets and buses to electric vehicles, incentivize shared-use mobility options, and closely monitor air pollution to identify and address emissions hotspots. In addition, the project includes plans to install smart streetlights, some of which will provide Wi-Fi access.
The initial DOT award was $40 million, back in June, 2016, but after the initial award, the DOT upped the ante. The origin DOT award was reported in Forbes, in June 2016 article: Transportation Secretary Foxx On Why Columbus, Ohio Won The DOT's $40 Million Smart City Challenge. Then, through public/private partnerships, the award swelled to $150 million, in part from a donation of $10 million from retired Microsoft executive Paul Allen’s Vulcan Ventures. Other companies, including Amazon Web Services, contributed as well, both financially and/or by providing services.
