Toward a Smart City: Inviting Innovation

THE INNOVATION:

At the Department of the Environment, our mission is to create visionary policies and innovative programs that promote social equity and the green economy, protect human health, and lead the way toward a sustainable future. We put this mission into action by mobilizing communities and providing the resources San Franciscans need to safeguard their homes, our city, and ultimately our planet. Some of our current goals include achieving zero waste by 2020, becoming the EV capital of the world, and achieving a 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2030.

Melanie Nutter, Director
San Francisco Department of the Environment

www.sfenvironment.org
Why is this important to do? And why is it compelling to you personally?

Cities around the world account for 2 percent of the land mass of our planet yet are responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions and 75 percent of the world's energy consumption. With over half of the world's population now living in cities, cities have the most to lose from rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns that will impact local communities and the economy. For example, the City of San Francisco has a population of 800,000 and is surrounded by water on three sides, which makes us quite dense and also particularly vulnerable to climate change. While cities are a primary cause of the problem, we must be part of the solution and take local action. Given the absence of action on climate change issues at the national and international levels, local action is our best hope for immediate steps forward. 

What are the key challenges and opportunities you / your industry faces?

Developing smart city infrastructure is both a challenge and an opportunity. In San Francisco, we've been able to use technology to improve our transportation system, building operations, waste management system, and energy use, all which have improved the way our city runs. These new technologies have promoted innovation, information sharing, and collaboration among the public and private sectors, as well as our residents. Now, not only are we looking for ways to further improve these individual systems with technology, but we're looking for ways to thread these systems together to make our city operations more efficient, help our residents make better decisions, and be a more resilient and sustainable city.

What wisdom would you like to pass on to tomorrow's innovators and entrepreneurs?

I would encourage tomorrow's innovators and entrepreneurs to work with cities. Cities are living proof that innovation at the local level can and does happen. Cities serve as incubators for new ideas, giving decision makers opportunities to be nimble and take risks. In San Francisco, setting ambitious sustainability goals and having support from our elected leaders and decision makers has helped us push forward and develop policies and programs that have never been tried before. Innovators and entrepreneurs are essential in this process, given their expertise, skills and resources that can help our cities solve some of our most pressing needs.

How might others help you?

Get involved! Visit our website for opportunities to engage with our local environmental programs at www.sfenvironment.org.

 
San Francisco has been named the greenest city in the United States and Canada
in a study commissioned by Siemens.