Panel maps out how Birmingham will become a Smart City
Birmingham’s Innovation Week is a celebration of the disruptive ideas and ventures evolving in the city’s technology community. In line with the city’s growing tech ecosystem are various initiatives to transform Birmingham into a Smart City using data and technology to make it more livable and sustainable. These plans were outlined Tuesday during an Innovation Week session called Think Next: How Birmingham’s Becoming a Smart City. Touching on various initiatives underway that helped the city win a Readiness Challenge Grant from the Smart Cities Council earlier this year, speakers mapped out projects using digital technology to help improve public safety, energy and transportation. Projects in the pipeline include an open data portal, smart street lighting, community Wi-Fi and a bus rapid transit. The City of Birmingham’s crime reduction initiative, Operation Step Up, also is included. Resources from the readiness grant will accelerate the efforts. The session featured a panel of individuals who were instrumental in the Smart Cities Council grant process and who are closely involved in ongoing innovation efforts: Brandon Johnson, City of Birmingham Director of Community Engagement; John Smola, Alabama Power Director of Business Transformation and Administration, and Paula Alvarez Pino, University of Alabama at Birmingham Program Director of Sustainable Smart Cities Research. The conversation was moderated by Mashonda Taylor, chief Community Relations officer for the Woodlawn Foundation. The panel provided updates on these projects, and touched on potential opportunities for further collaboration and expansion in the future. Check out how the grant is accelerating Birmingham’s Smart City efforts on the session’s live stream below. Think Next: How Birmingham is Becoming a Smart City from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Alabama Power puts focus on Birmingham’s smart city efforts for Innovation Week
Key players from the team responsible for Birmingham winning a 2018 Readiness Challenge Grant from the Smart Cities Council will discuss smart projects already underway during an Innovation Week event July 10 at Alabama Power Corporate Headquarters. “Think Next: How Birmingham’s Becoming a Smart City” will focus on plans to use digital technology to improve public safety, energy and transportation and how resources from the grant will accelerate efforts. Mashonda Taylor, chief Community Relations officer for the Woodlawn Foundation, will moderate the conversation. It will feature people who were instrumental in the Smart Cities Council grant process and who are closely involved in ongoing innovation efforts: Josh Carpenter, city of Birmingham director of Economic Development. John Smola, Alabama Power director of Business Transformation and Administration. Paula Alvarez Pino, University of Alabama at Birmingham program director of Sustainable Smart Cities Research. “We hope our session will spark conversation on how Birmingham is becoming a future-focused city by weaving in technological advances to improve the quality of life through cutting-edge services and connectivity,” Smola said. Session attendees can share ideas on how Birmingham can incorporate technology to make the city a better place to live and work while improving social equity and economic competitiveness. Before and after the session attendees can see a display of Alabama Power’s Smart Neighborhood™ project. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
