Each city is unique from a geographic, demographic and economic standpoint. Consequently, cities are not equal when it comes to their impact on the environment, positive or negative. Accenture believes that the cities that will thrive in this era are what we call “Intelligent Cities”. Intelligent Cities are cities that are capable of achieving and maintaining two important goals simultaneously:

• Reducing the negative impact of people and businesses on the environment, and running government and services in a sustainable fashion; and
• Creating an attractive economic and social environment for growth in which citizens, companies and government live, work and interact. An open, intelligent infrastructure and integrated management will be essential to create a city that is able to compete effectively for people, resources,businesses and investments.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is in the midst of an ambitious program to become the first Intelligent City in Europe. The goal of the project is to develop and implement sustainable and cost-effective programs that will help Amsterdam reduce its carbon footprint while exceeding the carbon reduction targets. Accomplishing these objectives involves bringing together various technologies and approaches that include smart meters, smart grid, electric vehicles, and intelligent building design to promote energy efficiency in all economic sectors. The program actually has three primary objectives in terms of environmental impact:

• A 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025 (twice the European objective);
• Reliance on 20 percent renewable energy by 2015;
• And achieving total CO2 neutrality by 2015.

The city began with a two-year program to be implemented in three phases. The first of the city’s smart grid measures was launched in 2009. Smart meter installations were included within the first phase of work, along with an innovation called “Climate Street.” This area (within the popular Utrechtsestraat shopping and dining area) features sustainable waste collection, numerous energy generating tram stops and highly efficient streetlights. City managers are able to monitor energy consumption on Climate Street through the use of smart meters and to share their findings with business owners.

Looking at the citizen outcomes to be produced from the initiative, four are primary:

• Sustainable living: Reducing carbon emissions generated by citizens through awareness programs, supporting behavior changes, and encouraging energy efficiency through technologies such as smart meters.
• Sustainable working: Reducing carbon emissions generated by businesses by increasing building efficiency and by adopting “smart building” technologies that can reduce the carbon intensity of business processes.
• Sustainable mobility: Reducing carbon emissions from transportation by increasing the percentage of vehicles with a lower carbon footprint (e.g., electric vehicles), and by changing transportation patterns and behaviors.
• Sustainable public spaces: Reducing emissions associated with public spaces by, for example, installing more energy-efficient lighting.

Apart from Amsterdam and the Climate Street our research and experience highlight many pioneering cities around the world that are engaged in innovative initiatives to improve their competitiveness and attractiveness to citizens. For example, Singapore (which is already a global leader in public transportation usage) has set a target by which, by 2020, residents will make 70 percent of all morning peak-hour trips on public transportation, with at least 85 percent of public transportation commuters completing their journey within 60 minutes.

But let’s not forget where we started: Every city is different and, therefore, there is not one “correct” way to go about developing the suite of capabilities necessary to become an Intelligent City. Given the influence of cities on the health of the planet, the Intelligent City agenda has importance for all citizens, regardless of where they live. For further information about how new strategies, technologies, open platforms and effective governance can help create Intelligent Cities, please visit https://microsite.accenture.com/sustainability/research_and_insights/Pages/Building-Managing-Intelligent-City.aspx.

What challenges do you think Amsterdam will face becoming the first Intelligent City in Europe? And what is your favorite Intelligent City in the world?