Forging a path to smart, sustainable cities

Convergence magazine > Forging a path to smart, sustainable cities

Smart technologies have the potential to make cities safer and more secure, healthier, more sustainable and resilient, and significantly improve the quality of life for citizens. It is projected that by 2050, more than 60% of the world’s population will live in cities, making it critical to create environments that are efficient and well-organized. One way to achieve this is by developing “smart,” interconnected cities and regions.

In Spring 2020, Arizona State University announced the launch of the Zimin Institute for Smart and Sustainable Cities. The Zimin Foundation, a non-for-profit organization established to support education and science, selected ASU and the Fulton Schools of Engineering as the site for the world’s second Zimin Institute because of its record of innovating technology solutions, its entrepreneurial ecosystem and access to multidisciplinary expertise.

Established to help drive a people-centric vision for the future of cities, the Zimin Institute at ASU is focused on creating a world where the rich functionality and power of advanced technologies are seamlessly integrated into the physical spaces where people live, work, learn and play. The institute connects researchers from disparate disciplines and applications spaces with collaborators in academia, industry, government and communities, and provides funding for aspects of smart cities-related ventures for which conventional federal, state, or industry funding may be inherently difficult to secure.

With a goal of supporting and growing the smart cities and regions ecosystem, the Zimin Institute grants funding to ASU faculty members to support their use-inspired and application-driven projects, which may be anywhere along the early-stage, mid-stage, or later-stage innovation value chain.

The Zimin Institute grants funding to ASU faculty members to support their use-inspired, application-driven projects. Projects can be anywhere along the innovation value chain — early-, mid-, or late-stage.