Two cities this week announced new initiatives to monitor and address air quality. French company Planetwatch is working with the City of Miami to launch a decentralised indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring network that offers rewards for sensor hosts. Data collected by the sensors...
As part of a series of interviews with mayors of leading global cities and regions, The World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis) spoke with Montevideo Mayor and Co-President of Metropolis, Carolina Cosse, to find out how COVID-19 is affecting her city and its residents....
Cities are beginning to pay closer attention to blockchain, viewing it as a fundamental shift that they cannot afford to ignore. Sarah Wray explores the potential use cases and the implications for ethical governance. Blockchain is one of the most hyped technologies around but there...
A new tool which highlights how American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are being used by local authorities has been released by non-profit organisation Results for America and policy research firm Mathematica. Priorities include COVID-19 response, public health, economic recovery and revenue replacement. Based on...
The pandemic has accelerated the rollout of digital services but a growing number of cities are also seeing the importance of physical spaces where residents, planners and technologists can meet and collaborate. Tallinn in Estonia has announced a new hub in the city centre which will...
The UK government has launched a new standard for transparency about how algorithmic tools are used to support decisions. Algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to help public sector organisations deliver services faster, more proactively and at lower cost. However, the results can...
One year into the role, Westminster City Council’s first Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, Aruj Haider, reflects on her successes and challenges as she aims to bring together some of the UK’s richest and most underprivileged communities. The Westminster Way culture change programme at Westminster...
In 1993, Vienna hosted the World Conference on Human Rights, the first such gathering since the end of the Cold War. When the Austrian capital reflected on the 20-year anniversary of that historic conference, it led the city council to adopt a declaration in December...
Mobility operator Bolt has teamed up with Allianz Partners to provide insurance for its e-scooters across 26 European countries. The new three-year partnership will see Bolt scooter users covered by two types of insurance that are already embedded in the rental fee – personal accident...
The growth of digitalisation puts some jobs at risk but is leaving others unfilled. Sarah Wray looks at how the City of York’s smart transport team is tackling these twin issues. Leaders in several industries from hospitality to haulage are reporting a critical shortage of...
