Paris, France

Paris. The city of light, the city of love and unknown to most people, also a city of innovation. This world renowned city was ranked 5th out of all the smart cities globally in 2014. Paris is the 10th greenest city in Europe, 11th in digital governance and 3rd in innovation, according to fastcoexist.com, but Paris is better known for its interest in public transportation solutions. 

Velib, a Parisian bike sharing network, is an expansive world leading system. It has 1230 terminals across the city which hold a number of three-speed bicycles and have an automatic rental terminal which records the bikes available at the terminal and at surrounding terminals as well as their locations. Velib’s success has led to the development of the first and most expansive electric car sharing program in the world, Autolib.

Autolib is an electric car rental network. It works in a way similar to Velib. It is not as big as Velib but it offers various other services such as electric car charging stations and car leasing. 

LeWeb in Paris has been known to be the place to go for digital innovation. It is an internationally-renowned conference for digital innovation where people from around the globe converge to explore today’s most popular trends and define the future of internet-driven business. 

Paris is planning to create smart towers that integrate the elements of nature and renewable energy. They will be built on existing buildings and will have solar-voltanic panels, solar heating systems, hydro-electric power, water re-purification and recycling systems. Wind turbines and photovoltaic textiles will also be used as additional power source and vertical gardens will be used for the purification of air and provide space for hydroponically farmed vegetables. This was is planned to come into effect in 2050.

Author: Neo Molope

Editor: Ibraaheem Vahed

References:

Co.Exist,. 'The 10 Smartest Cities In Europe'. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 May 2015.

Co.Exist,. 'The Top 10 Smart Cities On The Planet'. N.p., 2012. Web. 14 May 2015.

Eu-smartcities.eu,. 'EIP - Smart Cities And Communities Market Place'. N.p., 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

Euronews,. 'Leweb Paris: A Forum For Digital Innovation'. N.p., 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.