‘Smart’ city to blend high-speed networks with local food, energy
Published Monday, 7th November 2011
A new “smart” community planned for the Canadian city of St. Albert will feature an ultra-high-speed data network and other technologies designed not only to attract business but to make it easy for residents to telecommute to far-flung regions with ease.
The 400-acre Avenir project, being developed by Rampart with the help of Cisco, is being designed to accommodate around 10,000 residents, a significant boost to St. Albert’s current population of around 58,000. With a price-tag of $1.8 billion, the development is the latest in Cisco’s Smart+Connected Communities portfolio.
“Rampart’s Avenir is a perfect blank canvas in an ideal economic and geographic environment to design and implement the Smart+Connected Communities concepts and solutions,” said Rick Huijbregts, vice president of Smart+Connected Communities at Cisco Canada.
Beyond networking, other sustainable elements being incorporated into the community include:
- Local energy production
- Water recovery and reuse
- Local food production
- Advanced building materials and conservation products
- Vehicle energy infrastructure (that is, electric vehicles that can interact with the local power grid)
Another key element in the development will be the underlying advanced data technology enabling high-speed internet access and other digital communications. The project is also being designed with physical, real-life usability in mind, said Gerry J. De Klerk, CEO of the Rampart Group of companies, including a “state-of-the-art transportation hub making physical travel as simple as a digital connection.”
Nolan Crouse, the mayor of St. Albert, envisions the development as a way to promote economic growth.
“The success of a sustainable community depends on its ability to continuously improve its use of resources and access to services,” Crouse said. “The community has to attract business and innovation through a vibrant economic hub … Our goal is to extend St. Albert’s image to being the best place in Canada to work and operate a business.”
The Avenir community will be developed using Cisco’s Smart+Connected technologies, which are designed to bring security, building automation, home automation, voice, video and data and IT services all onto a single platform. Among the features being planned is a “Smart Work Center” aimed at enabling residents to work outside the area without physically having to leave the community.
RELATED NEWS
Latest Insight
Germany’s no-nukes plan leads to gas pains
Germany’s already an undisputed powerhouse in renewable energy, but it will need to
Which countries produce the most wind energy?
The world was producing nearly 238 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy as of
