Cities are betting big on smart streetlights — 23% will be connected by 2030
Funding
The report notes that infrastructure investment funds, energy services companies (ESCOs) and urban management companies are playing a growing role in financing and carrying out smart streetlighting projects. It forecasts that this trend will be exacerbated by municipal budget shortages caused by Covid-related economic issues.
“The challenges of 2020 have reinforced some of the key trends that were already developing in the smart streetlighting market,” said Chris Testa, Research Director at Northeast Group.
“Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of automation and resiliency for cities, but reduced municipal budgets mean that access to financing through ESCOs and other third parties is increasingly important. Likewise, a phased-in approach to smart cities that starts with smart streetlighting before proceeding to other applications and a focus on choosing interoperable software platforms that can serve multiple smart city segments are also key trends that have only become more salient in the past year.”
Consolidation
The sixth edition of theGlobal Smart Street Lighting & Smart Cities: Market Forecastfinds that large-scale smart streetlighting initiatives are now underway in almost all regions of the world.
As the market develops, the vendor landscape for smart streetlighting remains extremely fragmented and “ripe for consolidation,” Northeast Group says.
San Diego’s smart streetlight program hassparked controversy over privacy and surveillance concerns,leading to the Mayor recently ordering the sensors and cameras to be deactivated until a governance ordinance is in place. The city is in the process of developing ordinances to govern the use of surveillance technologies, including establishing a Privacy Advisory Board comprised of volunteer citizen members.
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Story byCities Today
Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.
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