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Financing smart cities: The environmental benefits and economic implications
- October 1, 2018: Vol. 11, Number 9

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Financing smart cities: The environmental benefits and economic implications

by Mike Ferguson

The smart city is coming to the United States. Economic, political and environmental objectives are driving the advent of a new urban vision — where technological and regulatory innovations, and mass decentralization of energy, converge for a more climate-friendly, interconnected metropolis.

The significant environmental benefits are becoming clearer. Transitioning to a low-carbon grid and implementing sustainable transportation, for example, can serve not only to mitigate climate change, but also to protect the health, longevity and economic well-being of urban communities. The financial implications, however, are less clear.

Politics vs. economics

The issue of climate change continues to draw a partisan response in the United States. President Trump — a champion of coal — has signalled a withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and an end to the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. Since the 2016 election, many feared climate action and,

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