There’s a “Humble Lamppost” initiative running as part of the European Innovation Partnership for Smart Cities & Communities. It seeks to put in place 10 million smart lampposts in European cities (given that there are 90 mln in total and 75% are more than 25 yrs old that’s not so daft).
Importantly it seeks to use the pole as an asset for integrating multiple other services (I’d add the “dozen things you can do with a lamppost that has nothing to do with light” picture if I could figure out how): WiFi, parking & traffic monitoring, air quality, safety, signage, etc.
This is one of a few smart ‘quick wins’ that cities can move forward with - relatively easily (in comparison with many other services). It’s also something where ‘demand aggregation’ - ie cities working together to address common opportunities - can deliver better deals for cities and citizens, and a bigger market for industry.
What’s interesting are the challenges that we face in making this come to life fast. That mustn’t stop progress, indeed it must give us even greater resolve, as it provides great learning for when we take a crack at something a tad harder!
Graham Colclough 7 months ago.
