Tech-driven and adaptive, it makes sense that San Francisco is aiming to be a smart city. Below, we break down what makes San Francisco (or any city) “smart,” how SF is achieving this goal, and smart initiatives that will impact the city in the future.
What is a smart city?
It’s a broad term, but the idea behind a smart city is, essentially, that it uses technology to improve residents’ quality of life. A city can be considered “smart” if it uses electronic data to measure, manage, and allocate resources efficiently. The data is used to manage city infrastructure, which can include roads, public transportation, cars, electricity, water, waste, schools, hospitals, libraries, law enforcement, and more.
In collecting and employing this data, city officials can best make decisions about the most efficient way to distribute resources, identify current and future problems, encourage sustainability, and minimize wastefulness.
San Francisco’s smart history
SF has previously undergone efforts to make its city greener, more efficient, and more connected.
One such instance was the solar rebate program, which was implemented in 2007 and is still active today. This program offers residences, nonprofits, and businesses a financial incentive to install solar panels.
Likewise, SF’s green building ordinance was adopted in 2008. It requires newly-constructed residences or businesses, as well as existing buildings that undergo major renovations, to conform to a standard of sustainability. This includes efforts to reduce electricity, water, and waste, as well as encourage alternate modes of transportation. Beginning in 2018, these codes were updated to require new buildings to have charging stations for electric vehicles, reflecting SF’s ongoing commitment to clean transportation.
San Francisco has also been committed to waste management and reduction. In 1989, California enforced the Waste Management Act. SF has since brought on a number of rules and regulations to target waste reduction, and today, it has achieved an 80% waste diversion rate. This is part of the city’s aim to have zero waste by 2020.
Current smart initiatives in SF
Technology shaping the city, and often born in the Bay Area itself, influences and integrates into SF life every day. Below are just a few examples of the city’s move toward smart city status.
The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA, or “Muni”) is playing a large role in smart city initiatives. Muni maintains a fleet of electric trolley buses that are powered by overhead wires. The electricity comes from local hydroelectric systems. These buses are quieter, more durable, and contribute less pollution than do regular motor buses.
Furthermore, San Francisco is aiming to make its buildings more efficient. In 2015, a five-year report concluded that SF commercial buildings had reduced their energy consumption by 7.9%. The reductions are likely in response to some of SF’s green ordinances, and the city has an ongoing goal to keep reducing energy usage by real estate, which currently makes up 52% of the city’s greenhouse emissions.
San Francisco established a panel that’s exploring possibilities for high-speed Internet service to all residents. To do so, SF is intending to establish a citywide gigabit network. The panel, made up of academic and business experts, wants to bring high-speed service to all residents. If this idea were to succeed, it would make San Francisco the largest American city to have such a network, and residents’ Internet speed would be 30 times the national average.
In a commitment to reducing energy usage, SF has a goal of becoming carbon-free by 2030. To that effect, San Francisco partnered with CH2M-Hill and created the SF Energy Map, tracking solar installations across the city. SF Environment has other partnerships with ImproveSF and Honest Buildings to employ smart technology, data collection, and crowd-sourced ideas to reduce energy consumption.
The future of smart in SF
San Francisco will keep working to make its systems smarter and more efficient. In 2016, SF applied to the Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, and was named one of the seven finalists. The Smart City Challenge asked mid-sized cities across the US to develop ideas and proposals for an integrated, smart transportation system. The finalists worked with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to further their ideas.
As part of San Francisco’s pitch, the city listed its smart transportation-related goals, such as shifting up to 10% of single-occupancy vehicle trips to transit or shared modes, reduce collisions and fatalities by 10%, and reduce the share of lower-income residents’ household income on transportation by 10%.
In 2017, the DOT granted San Francisco $11 million for these transportation technologies, especially in order to reduce traffic and create safer, more efficient transportation. This grant funded six initiatives, including the implementation of smart traffic signals and new lanes for public transit and carpools. Over time, San Francisco will use this grant for its innovative transportation solutions and strive to make the city safer and more efficient.
As San Francisco grows and evolves, technology will continue to play a role in shaping infrastructure and connecting officials with residents. To learn more about the “smart” movement within San Francisco, see here and here.