In smart cities, the use of technology, information, and data is promoted to enhance and improve the overall infrastructure, quality of life, and publicly accessible services. Negative side effects of living in densely populated urban areas (e.g. environmental pollution and stress-related illnesses) are to be minimized. Typical features of smart cities include 4 main points:

Smart administration and society

Government services in smart cities are made more accessible to people by making them available online. Processes such as registering a business or filing a complaint are simplified by digital offerings while also adhering to data security and protection regulations.

Online service can help improve accountability and transparency while also allowing citizens to take an active part in local governing processes.

Smart housing

Housing in smart cities should be affordable while also ensuring safety and security for its residents. Open and green spaces, public services, community areas, jobs as well as social facilities raise the housing standard in a smart city and enhance the quality of life in any given neighborhood. Poorly planned areas are redeveloped to improve the housing situation there.

Smart mobility

A central aspect of a smart city is its public transit network. Access to public transportation has increased in tomorrow’s cities. To further reduce emissions, smart cities are aimed towards being more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.

Creative solutions such as smart parking can further help to reduce emissions and environmental pollution, while also decreasing complexity for drivers in a complicated urban environment. Smart parking data reduces traffic hazards and accidents as drivers are not distracted while desperately looking for a parking space.

It also enables drivers to choose the best options to arrive at their desired destination quickly and efficiently.

Smart parking solutions can thus decrease parking search traffic, as drivers know which streets are fully occupied, and they can avoid circling around. In addition, drivers can make intelligent decisions based on precise parking data and choose to park in the nearest garage for example, or take a scooter if on-street parking in the inner city is not available.

Furthermore, smart cities aim to create walkable neighborhoods, where congestion, air pollution, and resource depletion are reduced to promote interactions and boost the local economy. Road networks are improved to not only provide space for vehicles and public transport but also to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.

Modern surface parking hubs slightly outside the inner city ring should also provide real-time occupancy data for parking, making it appealing for drivers to park their vehicles there and take alternative means of transport – such as e-vehicles or a bus – for the last miles to reduce emissions in the city center.

Smart infrastructure

The infrastructure in smart cities should be geared towards being sustainable and eco-friendly. In addition, many smart cities aim for climate neutrality. Structures for supplying electricity, gas, and hot water, as well as those for the disposal of refuse, need to be transformed to move towards more sustainable infrastructure.

This can be done by reducing the amount of waste generated and more effective recycling of refuse among other things. In addition, the use of natural resources can be reduced by establishing renewable energies.

Interested in learning more about smart city parking solutions? Click the button below to schedule a demo with a smart parking expert now.

Today we celebrate World Environment Day, and this year’s theme is air pollution and what can be done to reduce it. This is a goal that Cleverciti strives to accomplish every day, as it is a core part of our mission to make the world a healthier, cleaner place.

While multiple factors are responsible for things like climate change and global warming, transportation is known to be a significant contributor to the greenhouse gases emitted on Earth each year. For example, drivers spend an average of 17 hours each year looking for a parking spot, which adds up to an estimated $345 per driver in wasted time, fuel and emissions, according to a 2017 USA Today article.

But this can be changed with smart parking technology. At Cleverciti, we provide comprehensive technology solutions for clever parking management that enable drivers to spend less time searching for an available space and therefore reduces the impact on the environment.

From overhead sensors monitoring outdoor and on-street parking spaces, to intelligent analysis about driver behavior, to state-of the-art displays, and now, the ClevercitiCard, Cleverciti is the first step in ensuring a sustainable and hassle-free parking experience. Cleverciti is also the only parking solution provider to offer parking operators the ability to augment smart parking by adding capabilities for communications and out-of-home media engagement that generate additional revenue.

This kind of clever parking technology can help create a more sustainable urban life in cities. But municipalities are not the only entities looking to be more green. Organizations of all shapes and sizes, including shopping centers, office spaces and airports, are aiming to incorporate a wide range of intelligent solutions into their infrastructures to reduce emissions and their carbon footprint.

For instance, Cleverciti provides clever parking solutions to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, a premier European commercial real estate company that specializes in large shopping mall spaces. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, who is known for their customer service experience, installed Cleverciti smart parking technology at their shopping center Ruhr Park to not only improve the entire guest experience for their 12 million annual visitors, but also reduce their impact on the environment.

As companies and cities alike are starting to understand their role in making our world a better place to live, Cleverciti is proud to be a part of the change we can hope to see on World Environment Day on beyond. By providing reliable data to intelligently guide users in the “parking jungle,” we allow drivers to make clever decisions, save time and reduce negative effects on our environment.

City of Dubai

As cities look to plan for rapid population expansion, and to make the most out of their infrastructure, one of the first places they might focus on is parking. An increasing number of cities have started to eliminate minimum parking requirements for developers, aiming to increase walkability and decrease car dependency.

This trend brings to light the problems with existing infrastructure. The need is to establish a highly functional and efficient parking management solution that ensures resident satisfaction and utilizes the existing parking lots and on-street parking throughout the city.

The metropolitan parking picture

Parking can be a daily struggle for some, as in attempting to find a nearby yet affordable space to park for work in an office building. It’s also a problem during particular occasions, as hundreds gather around a few blocks or streets for a farmers market or holiday festival.

But, perhaps surprisingly, the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of parking lots available in cities. For example, one study shows that there are 2.2 million total parking spaces in Philadelphia and 1.85 million in New York City.

The problem lies in the way that these spaces are typically managed, which is proven to be inefficient. Drivers are often left frustrated and spend too much time searching for a spot, due to lack of immediate awareness of where spaces are open. Reliable, real-time data that allows drivers to choose between on-street parking, surface lots or garages is not available.

By bouncing between lots and garages that are full, drivers become restless and may choose to park illegally or leave altogether, creating a loss for the city in more ways than one.

The importance of guidance

Implementing an integrated, intelligent parking management solution allows cities to make the best use of their most valuable asset.

The most important aspect of achieving a streamlined parking experience is real-time guidance to all parking options and reliable, live information and updates. If a driver travels downtown and is looking to park somewhere central for a day of shopping, he or she must be made aware of which public on-street parking, surface lots, or garages are full before taking the time to search them for an open space. Sensors installed on light posts can provide an immediate overview of the occupancy of parking in the city, allowing drivers to make well informed decisions when navigating the lot and surrounding street parking spaces.

This type of live monitoring is especially beneficial for cities when they’re host to a particular event. A garage, lot or street can be controlled based on specific parameters, such as the price and duration, while also creating certain restrictions as necessary.

Serving residents for the greater good

The technology solutions that exist for managing municipal parking must coincide with the desire for city officials to improve the process. Cities increasingly care about their parking situation for a number of reasons:

Revenue

Deploying a cost-effective parking management and guidance solution ultimately generates more revenue for a city, as existing parking spaces are properly monetized. Drivers are more motivated to pay for a spot when they know they’ll be able to find it quickly, without having to circle around in vain. The awareness by drivers that all spaces are monitored by a modern system further increases the understanding that it is fair to pay for the valuable public space and service.

An example of this type of monetized parking policy at play can be seen when we take a look back at the history of Old Pasadena, the original commercial center of Pasadena, a city in California. The city installed parking meters in 1993 to improve its on-street parking situation, with a promise to use the meter revenue on public investments in Old Pasadena. Improvements to sidewalks, alleys and streets were made, while more customers were drawn to the area due to the regulated curb parking.

Service

Utilizing the Parking as a Service model is paramount for businesses and retailers, but its principle applies to cities as well. Officials should aim to provide residents and visitors with a stress-free, enjoyable experience, not one that is compounded by obstacles when trying to enter and exit the city.

Parking as a Service is driven by the deployment of innovative technology, which is typically seen in smart parking services. The Smart City of Dubai, for example, leverages sensors on lampposts to detect 1,100+ spaces in the World Trade Centre District and Sheik Zayed Road.

Public perception

The general perception of a city is impacted by its traffic and parking conditions. More people are likely to choose to spend their time and money in an urban environment where they know their parking concerns are understood and addressed.

A building in the Galeria Kaufhof Shopping Center in Cologne, Germany, for example, reduces parking search traffic in the entire city’s center and sustainably improves quality of life by utilizing a long-range parking sensor at the facade of the building.

As cities continue to thrive and population increases bring newer parking restrictions, it’s inevitable that managing parking in these locations will only become more critical. By applying the time and effort to invest in a solution that takes advantage of the space that already exists and simplifies the overall experience, urban areas can achieve one of their most important goals: happy citizens.