Cities all over the world are currently implementing strategies and initiatives aimed at making their city 'smarter'. The topic of smart cities is a constant theme at ICT events on a global basis, and the implementation of 'smart city' policies continues to accelerate and gain momentum. A perfect illustration of a city reinventing itself to become 'smarter' is the US city of Austin.

China is leading the global race in the development of smart cities with the world’s second-largest economy now having over 500 smart city projects either ready or under construction.

Dallas has announced that it will pilot six new innovative 'smart city' programs aimed to improve connectivity and mobility issues in the city. The program is being spearheaded by the Dallas Innovation Alliance, which is a non-profit organization that brings the public and private sector together to design and execute a 'smart city' strategy for Dallas.

Dr. Winnie Tang JP is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong. She is one of the locally-bred IT entrepreneurs of Hong Kong and the Honorary President of Smart City Consortium. Over the years, she has been actively advocating the use of technology and sharing her views regarding the ICT industry, eHealth, environmental conservation, entrepreneurship and smart city concepts through her services in government and non-government organizations in Hong Kong.

The European Commission has announced a series of new initiatives which has been specifically designed to modernize the European transport system. The program which has been entitled 'Europe on the Move' - aims to make traffic safer, encourage more equal road charging across member states, reduce harmful CO² emissions, air pollution and urban congestion - which is continuing to be a growing problem for many major cities across Europe due to increased urbanization.

Commuters have warmly welcomed the announcement made by city authorities that it will provide 4G connectivity for passengers using the London Underground from 2019 onwards. This latest program represents the latest in a series of initiatives being spearheaded by city officials, who are aiming to make London one of the world's 'smartest cities'.

US President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have announced a number of new initiatives and projects that it believes will help accelerate its 5G network growth ambitions in the United States.

A comprehensive report conducted by the IDC has projected that smart city expenditure is set to reach $28.3bn in 2018. The report analyzed the estimated spending on technologies that is set to be integrated in order to facilitate smart city programs in the Asia Pacific.

The smartest cities in the US have been formally announced following weeks of public voting in a survey conducted by IDC Government Insights. Over 3,000 votes were cast in the inaugural IDC Smart Cities North America. (SCNAA)