How Much Does It Cost to Build a City?
Our aging cities, built decades ago, are neither cost-efficient nor comfortable. Moreover, some of them no longer meet their residents’ needs, as urban population growth has posed new challenges for municipal authorities and infrastructure.
So, how much does it cost to build a smart city from scratch or even upgrade existing smart infrastructure?
GIS Opportunities
First and foremost, the smart city cost depends on several factors like location, climate, population size, available resources, and lastly the level of actual development. Therefore, it’s vital to utilize advanced technologies. With geographic information systems at their heart, innovative solutions can help in modeling and designing smart cities from scratch, as well as facilitate smarter infrastructures in other cities.
According to a UN forecast, 68% of the world population is expected to dwell in urban areas by 2050. A few of the problems associated with high-density urban living are maintenance, as well as the wear and tear on utility networks, pollution, heavy traffic, and the like. By relying on GIS tools, however, infrastructure lifecycles can be handled more efficiently than how they’ve been traditionally managed.
When it comes to extending city boundaries, mapping software is a useful tool that saves precious time and effort and helps build smart cities faster. GIS data can shed light on sites suitable for the right valuation of existing and new buildings. Moreover, it enables specialists to regulate the construction of objects within the legal framework.
Utility Management
Mapping software integration can help manage disparate assets more efficiently and decrease expenses. Location business intelligence ensures collaboration with real-time data-driven tools. They help specialists share up-to-date information and keep in touch with team members and other departments. Along with the use of GIS tools, critical city infrastructure, such as water, sewage, and power systems, can be monitored easily and regularly.
GIS is a reasonable solution for conducting asset inventory management when cost-effectiveness and efficiency are the goals. This technology comes in handy for repair services since the prevailing number of utilities is hidden beneath the ground. With mapping software, companies can detect leaks and breakdowns more quickly. So, its implementation enables them to mitigate risks and diminish resource waste. For fieldwork, work crews can use their mobile devices to record the condition of utilities in various areas and share this information with their co-workers.
Intelligent Transportation
It’s hard to imagine large cities without traffic. Constantly growing traffic volumes are one of the central problems requiring fast and effective solutions as city centers grow more congested year after year.
Municipal authorities can make use of a big pool of alternative tools to help monitor and regulate traffic on the roads within the city boundaries by applying digital technologies. In addition, mobile apps allow for car sharing, bike and scooter rental spots. With real-time data, it becomes simpler to regulate traffic flow and build routes, especially in cities where self-driving vehicles have already become the new normal.