Obama administration will spend $80 million for smart cities initiatives

The Obama administration recently pledged more than $80 million for the second year of its Smart Cities Initiative to fund projects geared to combat climate change, make transportation more efficient, and make communities more resilient to natural disasters.

Projects include a test of a network of autonomous vehicles in Chattanooga, Tenn., the development of sensor-based tools for flood-prone areas of Texas, and a collaboration between University of Washington and Seattle to use predictive analytics to identify when city services succeed in helping homeless individuals transition into permanent housing.

More than 70 cities and communities are now participating in the initiative.