City 2.0: IT will make cities more engaging and energy-efficient

Technologies such as WiMax, smart grids and social networks will transform tomorrow’s urban centers.

Science fiction writers paint grand pictures of glorious cities of the future. But aside from some of the more whimsical elements of those visions — flying cars, say, or downtown atriums protected by invisible walls — City 2.0 isn’t as far off as you might think.

Ubiquitous wireless networks are already available in Baltimore, Minneapolis and other cities; corporations such as Thomson Reuters PLC have sustainable data centers that sell power back to local utilities; the smart energy grid is well on its way; and city-provided social networks are becoming more common. Indeed, the next steps toward the city of tomorrow are all about integrating those services cohesively, making them widely available across the entire metropolis and managing the services more efficiently.  Article

DCL: Seems like a scenario that will require some event monitoring.