Brisbane, Adelaide, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Canterbury-Bankstown have all been shortlisted for the top prize at the inaugural Australian Smart Cities Awards.

The awards, to be held as part of Australia’s first Smart Cities Week from 29-31 October, will recognise and reward leadership, celebrate best practice and stimulate action to advance the smart cities movement.

According to the Smart Cities Awards jury chair, David Singleton, the awards will “articulate how smart cities activities can enhance the liveability, workability and sustainability of our cities. For the first time, Australians will gain a clear idea of what leadership in smart cities looks like.”

The most hotly-contested prize on the night will be the ‘Leadership City’ category, with five cities named as finalists.

These include:

Brisbane City Council

Free public Wi-Fi, intelligent transport systems and digital literacy programs demonstrate Council’s commitment to technology, data and innovation. Council has invested $5 million to establish a start-up and innovation hub, has trained 3,500 school children in coding, released 130 datasets to help businesses and the community develop new customer experiences and solutions, and was the first city in Australia to implement a functional, large-scale Bluetooth monitoring system.

City of Adelaide

Ten Gigabit Adelaide connects businesses to high-speed, high-capability networks, increasing amenities and liveability, boosting jobs and living standards, and attracting the attention of international investors such as Elon Musk and Sanjeev Gupta. The City of Adelaide’s strategy is empowering the economy and aims to make Adelaide one of the most connected cities in the world.

City of Ipswich

The City of Ipswich is building a network for smart infrastructure and the Internet of Things. Using Australian-first technology, the City has built a 100 square kilometre IoT network that supports sensor-based data gathering, video analytics, remote asset management, safety and security. The City is also partnering with Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads to run Australia’s largest cooperative intelligent transport system program.

Sunshine Coast Council

Sunshine Coast Council has harnessed a host of technologies to create a more liveable city, including smart bins and water meters, parking and sensors to monitor wildlife and waterways. The Council’s Smart Region Management Platform receives data from sensors, street lights and Wi-Fi access points to manage service delivery in real-time. Council’s Smart Centre has welcomed more than 2,500 visitors since opening in 2016.

City of Canterbury Bankstown

Facing significant challenges, including language barriers, socio-economics and local council amalgamations, City of Canterbury Bankstown worked with the CSIRO and the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils to develop the Our Energy Future program for renters and investors. This free, energy advice service was designed to address obstacles to the uptake of renewable energy, connected with suppliers, and help residents reduce their power bills.

Telstra and Deloitte are partnering with Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand to present the awards.

“As technology optimists, Telstra is committed to helping citizens, businesses and governments across our nation to leverage the value of technology,” says Merrick Spain, Smart Cities lead at Telstra.

“We are proud to support the Smart Cities Week Awards and congratulate the nominees for their vision and courage in lighting the pathway to our common future. We encourage others to join them in embarking on this exciting journey to transform our cities and communities.”

Winners of the Smart Cities Awards will be announced on 30 October 2018.

Architecture & Design Team

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