What is Smart City?

The Smart City vision is the Council's action plan for e-Government implementation and modernisation.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are radically changing the way people undertake their daily business. Customer expectations are high … with the 24 hour society leading them to expect personalised and joined up services available where and when they want them.

This new environment and the challenges that come with it are precisely why the City of Edinburgh Council is in an ICT partnership with BT to deliver the 'Smart City' vision.

Smart City is all about people based public services … how customers and the Council connect. It is about changing the way the Council organises and delivers its services to be efficient, effective and customer focussed. Its aim is to use ICT efficiently and effectively to support delivering all of these services to citizens, businesses and organisations.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Smart City vision is for the Council to be recognised as the UK leader in delivering modern, joined-up and interactive public service using a wide range of new technology.

In particular, the Smart City will:

• use leading-edge ICT to change the way services behind the scenes (in the "back office") are delivered to improve customer service, productivity, effectiveness and efficiency
• improve information and internal communication to help strategic planning and prioritising resources as well as promote innovative thinking and collaboration (involving Council staff in the process)
• provide the tools and infrastructure to let citizens and community organisations take advantage of the information age and to participate and express their views as part of local decision-making
• deliver new "value-added" services to citizens, visitors and local businesses using leading-edge technology to improve their quality of life, their experience of visiting the city or competitiveness.