LOS, ANGELES

Only a few hundred miles away from Silicon Valley, it is perhaps unsurprising that LA is seeking technological means to improve the lives of residents.

Parking and traffic is a major element of LA’s smart city plans. Over 40,000 smart parking meters are currently in use which connect to mobile applications, giving residents the opportunity to check availability, rates, and parking space locations.

The startup responsible for the scheme, StreetLine, says that commuters have been saved over three million hours in wasted time seeking a place to park.

In addition, the city recently partnered with Philips to improve LA’s street lighting platform, which manages over 200,000 lamps. The firm’s CityTouch remote monitoring system is currently being implemented with the overall aim of connecting 110,000 lights for real-time monitoring, maintenance, and to notify city employees of outages and damage.

Ben Ferrari, Director of Partnerships, The Climate Group

“We have seen that adding a central management system can deliver new benefits to city managers. These range from a greater ability to manage the lighting assets and the chance to be more responsive to the needs of citizens in different locations within the city.”