Edinburgh fires up ambitions to become a sustainable smart city

City of Edinburgh Council has adopted to a new three-year strategy to boost digital inclusion and sustainability.

The council's Policy and Sustainability Committee has approved the new Digital and Smart City strategy, which aims to accelerate the city’s technological transformation.

The new initiative will run until 2027 and hopes to ensure “every resident” has access to digital skills and “affordable” digital services, council leader Cammy Day said.

Building on a previous strategy, which ran from 2020-2023, the new version will operate under seven principles, which include re-using existing capability where appropriate and building solutions as “a last resort”.

Day said: “Our biggest priorities for Edinburgh are to create good places to live and work, tackle poverty and inequality and become a net zero city. Our smart city approach is central to all three of those aims.

“We’ve achieved a lot in the last three years to make council services more efficient and accessible and to improve connectivity - but we have a big ambition to make sure every resident, regardless of background or ability, has access to affordable digital services and the skills they need.”

The strategy hopes to ensure the council’s approach to technology will be a “key enabler of business” and aligns with their changing needs.

It has been developed in line with the council’s business plan, which aims to ensure the “future council” is digitally-enabled and accessible.

Since 2020, it is understood the council has made strides in its technological transformation, including the introduction of live public transport information and 24/7 monitoring of busy areas as well as ensuring citywide connectivity through better digital infrastructure, including public wi-fi and making internet access inclusive.

It now also provides one-to-one electronic devices for all P6-S6 and staff, plus one-to-five shared devices for all other learners in P1-P5 to bridge the digital learning divide, and has installed 11,000 bin sensors around the city to help waste crews keep the city clean.

Within the council, all workers must now also undertake cyber training to face the growing threat of cyber-attacks on largescale organisations.

Edinburgh is said to be one of the UK's fastest-growing tech hubs, with more than 15,000 people working in software development alone.

Day continued: “We plan to build on our use of smart technology to improve day to day council services, and we’re looking at using data monitoring to better understand how people get around and use the city. Edinburgh is a growing magnet for tech, and we plan to partner with universities, companies, and start-ups to further grow and attract global investment.

“By embracing innovation, we can improve the quality of life for everyone who lives and works here.”

A further report on the council’s implementation of the Smart Cities Strategy will be brought to a future meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee.