Montgomery, Alabama is getting a Smart City Makeover. Yellowhammer News reports that the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce along with Mayor Todd Strange, County Commission Chairman Elton Dean and Alabama Power Southern Division Vice President Leslie Sanders have announced the creation of a Smart City Living Lab in the city’s downtown.
“We are proud to be a partner in this effort and leverage resources and technology that can help improve Montgomery for all residents,” said Alabama Power Southern Division Vice President Leslie Sanders in a statement. “The benefit of reliable connectivity can be used to support a multitude of applications and ultimately deliver more for those who live in and visit Montgomery.”
Updates to the city will include “fiber optic infrastructure, an expansion of the Open Data Portal, free public Wi-Fi in downtown areas, the conversion of street lights to LED, a public safety initiative and deployment of smart parking solutions for Alabama’s riverfront capital city, which is built on a dynamic history rooted in revolution as the center of both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement,” according to Yellowhammer News.
“Beginning with a ‘smart’ corridor from the capital to the riverfront, we are building a smart city from the ground up – using fiber and connectivity to seamlessly integrate into the existing environment, while providing a platform for the deployment of any number of smart city solutions.”
“Beginning with a ‘smart’ corridor from the capital to the riverfront, we are building a smart city from the ground up – using fiber and connectivity to seamlessly integrate into the existing environment, while providing a platform for the deployment of any number of smart city solutions,” Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce chairman Willie Durham added.
A new public-private partnership called the Montgomery Smart Community Alliance will be responsible for advancing smart city initiatives in the City of Montgomery. Currently, the alliance is working on a smart community strategic plan to ensure that community needs are identified and met through these initiatives.
“This is all about partnerships and leveraging resources to provide a sustainable, prosperous, equitable and inclusive future for all Montgomery residents. We are seeking to build a fabric of connectivity that can support a multitude of applications and services by utilizing the same communications platforms, thus creating efficiencies, saving costs, and ultimately delivering more for those living in and visiting Montgomery,” Mayor Todd Strange stated.
County Commission Chairman Elton Dean emphasized, “Partnerships and shared goals have always been at the heart of Montgomery’s success, and today we again stand together and take a bold step towards a more prosperous future for our citizens.”