2018 Black & Veatch Strategic Direction

About This Report
The Black & Veatch 2018 Strategic Directions: Smart Cities & Utilities Report
dives deeply into the current landscape of smart city efforts unfolding around
the globe. With high-profile, ambitious projects in such cities as Kansas City,
Seattle and San Diego, we see the evolution toward smarter infrastructure is
possible and that obstacles — no matter how daunting — can be conquered.
This year’s report shows that the large majority of respondents still see
smart city projects as “transformational,” with the ability to improve and
redefine quality of life. Our data also show that individual efforts — from
“Safe City” initiatives to the greater integration of distributed energy
resources and the growing proliferation of electric vehicles — continue to
advance. But are these individual efforts one-off projects, or are they part of
larger, more integrated plans?
The 2018 Strategic Directions: Smart Cities & Utilities Report details the
obstacles that remain. Budget constraints are still a top hurdle; nearly twothirds
of municipalities point to funding issues as a major barrier to adopting
smarter systems. Data collection systems are returning information en
masse, but few cities and utilities truly understand how to manage, analyze
and secure that data, leaving many feeling overwhelmed. Electric utilities
— well-positioned to play a prime role in any in smart city initiative — are
sometimes left playing support roles, or no role at all.
We are excited to bring you some new features in this year’s report as well,
from a guest opinion by Kate Garman, Smart City Coordinator for the city of
Seattle, to a contributed article by Proterra, a rising leader in the design and
manufacture of zero-emissions electric buses.
We welcome your questions and comments regarding this report or
Black & Veatch services. You can reach us at MediaInfo@bv.com.

The Report HERE