Which cities are paving the way to proper waste-to-energy generation
Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas Companies and people generate vast amounts of waste. As the population becomes urbanized, this waste originates in cities, and the favorite destination are landfill sites, where the waste decomposes, generating methane or contaminating water sources. But there are two exceptions: recyclable materials, which are transformed in the circuit to become […]
How Taipei is using robotic firefighters to enhance disaster responses
Author | Lucía Burbano Classified as a high risk job, firefighters are exposed to risks that include burns, smoke inhalation and injuries caused by fire and falling structures, as well as potential chronic respiratory diseases. In 2022, the U.S. National Fire Protection Association reported a total of 96 fatal firefighter injuries occurring while they were […]
Discover the alternative Barcelona, Europe’s first digital twin
Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas Barcelona’s digital twins like those created thanks to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) are being used to validate future initiatives in the city. The different models, which simulate the city of Barcelona in aspects including mobility, accessibility, urbanism, health, etc., will serve as a starting […]
Austria and social housing: a model often copied but seldom achieved
Author | Lucía Burbano More than 60% of Vienna’s 1.8 million inhabitants live in subsidized housing, or Gemeindebauten, and almost half of the housing market is made up of city-owned flats or cooperative apartments. The Austrian capital adopted this social model at the end of World War I. Other cities have implemented different strategies. Have […]
Privacy protection in smart cities: How are they taking care of citizens’ most precious information?
Author | Lucía Burbano Cities have always collected and stored citizens’ personal data through tax collection procedures or when processing applications, among others. However, the rapid increase in smart urban devices such as cameras and other IoT sensors, has increased the type and volume of personal data that are collected. How are cities protecting our […]
Sidewalk Toronto, the vision behind Google’s failed city
Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas A few years before the pandemic, Toronto attempted, with the help of Google and local business owners, to create the ideal city. It never materialized, but it moved thousands of people and helped us imagine a future that may have been better, but which was finally abandoned. What was Toronto’s […]
What are microgrids and why are they important for improving urban resilience?
Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas Local energy production and distribution grids are becoming widespread as families, groups of residents or entire town councils choose to create their own power generation, distribution and consumption grids, often with the aim of creating a neighborhood or community or being more sustainable. This breakthrough, which returns energy sovereignty to […]
Could AI and IoT be the solution to traffic congestion?
Author | Lucía Burbano Traffic jams not only cause fatigue, desperation and delays among drivers. While most vehicles continue to use fossil fuels, traffic congestion is co-responsible for air (and noise) pollution in cities, and also has a negative impact on people’s quality of life. Having a better understanding of urban traffic and finding solutions […]
Japan’s smart city renaissance: building futuristic urban havens from scratch
Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas During the past decade, Japan has been demolishing entire neighborhoods to rebuild them. With a focus on enhancing the quality of life of residents, improving public transport systems and the city’s efficiency as an organism; it aims, with the help of technology, to be at the forefront of a silent […]
Quiet champions: cities still embracing the Hyperloop dream
Author | Lucía Burbano At first glance, Hyperloop has all the qualities needed to become the mass transportation mode of the future; it is extremely fast, sustainable and technologically exceptional. But high R&D costs and competition with existing and widely operational railway networks have dampened the idea. However, numerous cities are still willing to invest […]