By Matthew Sims
Maribyrnong council has taken another step towards plans for the area to become a ‘smart city’, with the launch of the Smart City Strategic Framework and a showcase tour of Footscray.
Hosted on behalf of the Australian Smart Communities Association, the networking event saw participants inspect how smart technologies are being utilised in Footscray.
The initiative took its first steps in 2019 after the council received a $400,000 grant from the Smart Cities and Suburbs Program to deliver the Smart City for Social Cohesion project.
In conjunction with Victoria University, the council installed a range of smart city technologies across Footscray.
The council approved the strategic framework at its meeting on Tuesday, May 17.
The framework included features such as free public Wi-Fi, smart parking sensors, air quality sensors, digital kiosks, traffic counters, smart lighting and more to help make the area more liveable and provide useful data to help council make informed decisions.
Mayor Anthony Tran said the framework has defined a clear governance structure and would ensure robust processes are in place for key decisions to align with other council priorities.
“Testing a range of pilot projects has given council confidence investing in technology and data, and innovation is the key to helping service our community’s needs better,” he said.
“While the Smart City for Social Cohesion project was fantastic for us, it also highlighted a need to strategically align our smart city program with the broad range of services we provide.
“The establishment of this framework sets us up at the starting line for what will be an exciting future.”
Work on developing the framework began in 2021 with community feedback then informing changes, including a reassurance that the initiative would not violate individuals’ privacy.
Details: www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au/smartcity
