Spokane Pursues Smart City Goals with Collaborative Approach

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Urbanova is a living lab set in the heart of the 770-acre University District near downtown to "pilot technologies while testing what creates value and how economical they are."

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Spokane, Washington’s second-largest city has long been a hub for the research of energy, air quality, health and biosciences, making it a unique setting for a new smart city living lab.

A little more than 40 years ago, the “Lilac City” was the smallest ever to host a World’s Fair, Expo ’74, the first such international event to focus on environmental issues.

That was back when many cities’ downtowns were being abandoned, but Urbanova—occupying the 770-acre University District adjacent to the urban core and inspired by similar collaborative efforts like Envision Charlotte—could strengthen Spokane's ongoing downtown revitalization.

“As you look at these urban issues facing infrastructure, especially those cities in the business of providing utilities … the reality is we need to do things in a much smarter way,” Spokane Mayor David Condon told Route Fifty in an interview.

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