Bechtel Joins Smart Cities Council to Launch Readiness Guide

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel today joined the Smart Cities Council to unveil the Smart Cities Readiness Guide, a comprehensive roadmap that enables leaders to assess their city's current state of technology and its readiness to become a smart city.

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The roadmap defines smart cities as ones where digital technology and intelligent design have been harnessed to create smart, sustainable cities with high-quality living and high-quality jobs. The Readiness Guide was developed with input from leading smart city and urban planning experts as well as top global companies. Bechtel, a lead partner with the Smart Cities Council, contributed to the guide based on its experience managing the design and construction of complex projects in urban areas.

The Readiness Guide is a collection of guidelines, best practices, and case studies. It helps a city create its own customized "wish list" with the confidence that it has not left out anything essential and that all the pieces will work together even if they are built in stages. The Guide includes vendor-neutral technology recommendations to enhance a city's energy, water, built environment, transportation, public safety, and health and human services.

"Smart cities improve capacity and efficiency and, in doing so, enhance livability for their inhabitants. The Smart Cities Readiness Guide offers a practical, step-by-step manual for cities that wish to embrace the concept of smart-city living," said James Denton Brown, manager of planning for Bechtel's civil infrastructure global business unit." As a lead partner of the Smart Cities Council, Bechtel is pleased to have contributed to this initiative based on our expertise in understanding how to bring complex, large-scale visions to reality."

"Over the next 20 years, the world's 700 largest cities are projected to make a cumulative infrastructure investment of between $30 trillion and $40 trillion," said founding Smart Cities Council Chairman Jesse Berst. "It is essential that they invest wisely. Because it was produced collaboratively by some of the world's top smart-city experts, the Readiness Guide prepares city leaders to make informed decisions that will enhance the livability, workability, and sustainability of their cities."

Bechtel is a global leader in design and construction of civil infrastructure. The company has contributed to some of the most significant urban transportation infrastructure projects around the world, including the Channel Tunnel, Hong Kong International Airport, and the Athens Metro system. 

About Bechtel:

Bechtel is among the most respected engineering, project management, and construction companies in the world. We stand apart for our ability to get the job done right—no matter how big, how complex, or how remote. Bechtel operates through five global business units that specialize in civil infrastructure; power generation, communications, and transmission; mining and metals; oil, gas, and chemicals; and government services. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries on all seven continents. Today, our 53,000 colleagues team with customers, partners, and suppliers on diverse projects in nearly 50 countries www.bechtel.com

About Smart Cities Council:

The Smart Cities Council is comprised of the foremost companies in the smart technologies sector. Its goal is to accelerate the growth of smart cities worldwide by providing city leaders and urban planners with tools and resources, such as a Readiness Guide, financial guides, policy frameworks, and mentoring sessions. For more information, visit www.smartcitiescouncil.com.

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SOURCE Bechtel