Smart Cities Provide Revitalization and Change of Lifestyle for All — And Are Ignored by Both Parties

“If we can re-conceive of our government so that the interactions and the interplay between private sector, nonprofits, and government are opened up, and we use technology, data, social media in order to join forces around problems, then there’s no problem that we face in this country that is not soluble.” – President Barack Obama

Nowhere in the news nor on the campaign trail can one find any connection between the current Democrat and Republican parties in regard to their position on Smart Cities and IoT. Each party states they want to improve the economy, increase jobs, and decrease violence. With that, how can they ignore the Smart City movement embraced by so many of our communities and local politicians? A movement that benefits the people in the three areas frequently discussed on the campaign trail by our presidential aspirants?

Recently the White House announced over $80 million in new federal investments and a doubling of participating communities in the White House Smart Cities Initiative.  Jake Williams, Manager of Strategic Initiatives for StateScoop in WA DC wrote that the U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx believes the smart city revolution could be as revolutionary as the interstate highway system was in the mid-1950s. President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956 wherein the law declared that the construction of an elaborate expressway system was “essential to the national interest”.  Smart Cities may very well be the equivalent.

What’s going to happen with this? Will this program continue into the future? Will it be dismissed as nonessential to the country? Will the Smart City movement lack or gain political support with the advent of a new President? What do you think?