Glasgow is set to be one of the UK’s first ‘smart cities’ thanks to a UK government grant worth £24 million, reports itproportal.com. The city managed to fend off competition from 30 other applicants to secure the ‘Future Cities Demonstrator’ investment from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).

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£24 million investment will make Glasgow a city of the future

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The money will be spend on projects such as connecting Glasgow’s network of CCTV cameras, installing security cameras to prevent crime, monitoring energy levels to see where areas in Glasgow need it most and the creation of an app to report local concerns like potholes or overflowing litter problems.

Stimulating the presence of technology in the city is key and the grant should go some way to making the city and its residents more eco-friendly. Buildings, transport, policing and other areas will benefit as a result.

Investment will make Glasgow a city of tomorrow

Scott Cain, the TSB’s project leader for Future Cities, commented on the project on publicservice.co.uk:

“Glasgow has some quite extreme challenges – it has the lowest life expectancy of any city in the UK for instance – and the hope is that if we bring together energy, transport, public safety and health it will make it more efficient and a better place to live.”

“The thinking behind it is to have somewhere in the UK where firms can look at the efficiencies, the investments and how you can address the challenges of a city,” he added.

Other UK cities to win the grant are London, Sunderland and Birmingham.

Author: Ashley Curtis    Date Written: 28 January 2013