Syracuse Wins North American Smart Cities Award

Published on March 21, 2022

The City of Syracuse claimed top honors in a North American award competition that recognizes progress by municipalities in smart cities projects. After IDC Government Insights Smart Cities North America Award selected Syracuse among three U.S. cities as finalists in the Sustainable Infrastructure division, an open online vote picked Syracuse as the winner.

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“Syracuse can take pride in being among the leading cities in North America for using technology to improve sustainability, efficiency and services for residents,” said Mayor Walsh.  “Our smart city initiative is a forward-looking infrastructure program that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves money. It makes it possible for us to deliver other improved services, including sensor-enabled road temperature and air monitoring to assist with snow and ice removal.  In the future, we will add new sensors and devices to further expand our smart city operations.”

Syracuse beat out the cities of San Jose and Riverside, California.  The Sustainable Infrastructure category recognizes progress in smart water, lighting, waste collection and environmental monitoring.

A major component of Mayor Walsh’s Syracuse Surge strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy, the City of Syracuse converted its street light network to energy efficient LED lights in 2020.  The City saves an estimated $3 million annually in energy and maintenance costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 8,500 tons a year—the equivalent of taking more than 1,660 cars off the road.

The New York Power Authority named Syracuse as New York State’s Flagship Smart City in 2019.  The city’s streetlights are outfitted with SMART controls that provide programmed dimming ability, energy metering, fault monitoring, and additional tools for emergency services through on-demand lighting levels. The system also serves as a platform for sensors and other connected devices to deliver new capabilities in environmental monitoring and public safety.

Only 17 of the 38 cities in the United States and Canada up for awards received top honor. Schenectady was the only other city in New York State selected as a finalist and placed first in the Administration category.