CITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE are transforming themselves into “smart cities.” These use connected technology and data to improve energy and transportation efficiency, city services and safety. Barcelona, Spain, is well on its way to becoming one. With over 450 access points, its Wi-Fi network is one of the largest free, public-access networks in Europe. Smart City Barcelona’s comprehensive plan includes projects and initiatives in several areas. Here a seven of them:

Smart lighting. The city developed a master plan which includes projects to remotely control street level lighting and transition 50 streets and 1,155 lampposts to LED technology. The lights activate when they detect motion and also gather environmental data.

Smart energy. The city has installed more than 19,500 smart meters in the Olympic Villa district; various projects to increase energy efficiency include the creation of self-sufficient blocks.

“Bicing” It. An annual subscription grants users access to Barcelona’s extensive network of bikes for rent.

Smart water. Barcelona’s parks and green spaces, including 77 fountains, are switching to remote control. Park staff can monitor plants via tablet; in addition, a network of sensors gathers data on the input and output of the system’s water and integrates it with data on rainwater, evaporation, drainage and other variables, so that plants only received the water they need.

Bike service. Barcelona maintains 6,000 bicycles and 420 “Bicing” stations. Users simply swipe a card to unlock a bike, then return it to the station nearest their destination. Residents can locate the nearest bike for rent via the Bicing app.

Smart transportation. The city’s new “orthogonal bus network”—based on a foundation of horizontal, vertical and diagonal routes—uses smart technology to improve speed and efficiency. Other improvements include a system that manages traffic lights, setting those along the route to a fire or accident to green, just long enough for emergency vehicles to pass.

Zero-emissions mobility. Barcelona is electrifying public and private transportation by installing an extensive system of free, public charge points across the city. Its public transportation fleet includes electric buses and electric taxis; a new charging station for electric scooters and a car-sharing program using electric vehicles have also come on-line.

Open government. City government is striving to make its activities more transparent by deploying 44 “citizen’s attention” kiosks. The city also launched an Open Data portal, which organizes data into several categories and enables services such as the App&Town app, which helps users plot routes using public transportation.

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