Across the world and in the U.S., cities are using technology to become safer and more sustainable places.

Smart cities has become the catchphrase used to describe the trend of sensors and other tech that can monitor air quality, fight traffic congestion or make neighborhoods more energy-efficient.

In Dallas, the West End neighborhood of downtown has become a pilot for how smart cities technology could make life better in North Texas.

The newest technology in one of the oldest parts of town

Dallas launched its first smart cities project in March 2017.

The initiative is led by the Dallas Innovation Alliance, a private-public partnership that includes about three dozen companies, civic groups and academic institutions. Its first testing ground in the West End has been dubbed the "Living Lab," and its lead partner is Dallas-based telecom company AT&T.

The pilot project is a testing ground for the technology, which the DIA hopes to scale across the city.

SOURCES: Dallas Morning News research; Dallas Innovation Alliance