Strong City/Chamber Partnership Lands Chattanooga on World Economic Forum Working Group

The World Economic Forum announced that 36 global cities will pioneer a smart technology policy roadmap as part of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance. Only two U.S. cities — San Jose, CA and Chattanooga, TN — were selected to pilot adoption of the roadmap.

“We are honored to be among the 36 global cities, and one of only two U.S. cities, selected to pioneer the G20 Smart Cities Global Alliance’s policy roadmap. We began our smart city work a decade ago when EPB launched its community-wide fiber network and have been working to become a leader in this space ever since. This project is an important next step in our smart city journey as we build upon the groundwork we’ve laid and prepare Chattanooga for a smarter, stronger future,” said Christy Gillenwater, President and CEO, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.

A recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan found global smart cities can spur $2.46 trillion in business opportunities by 2025 — that is, if such cities have policies in place to support those opportunities. As global economies buckle under the weight of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this new policy effort serves as a blueprint for unlocking that potential of smart cities to aid recovery efforts.    Chattanooga's "entrepreneurial mindset" has been credited to much of its success in smart city-related efforts partnering with the chamber to accomplish the following: The first U.S. city to offer fiber optic internet to every citizen Deployment of an advanced traffic signal system  Smart-tech programs initiated in collaboration with the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA,) U.S. Department of Energy and Vanderbilt University.  Tech-driven development featuring micro-grid programs, smart building energy mandates and solar field projects To learn more about the smart city initiative check out https://globalsmartcitiesalliance.org

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