Blog

Unique insights into what is happening in cities worldwide.

ZenCity

May 02, 2017

ZenCity is an A.I. based analytics dashboard for city governments to gain actionable, real-time’ insights from citizens. By employing A.I. across all communication platforms – social media, municipal platforms, 411 telephone lines – ZenCity helps understand and find actionable trends, topics, and sentiments being expressed about the city and its services. The technology developed by…

WhereIsMyTransport

May 02, 2017

Where is My Transport is a tool for users and cities alike to better understand the complex whole of public transit, including informal transportation and multiple non-connected transit networks. Through real-time engagement and ETAs, informal route mapping, and integrated journey planning, the tool empowers residents to access transportation, while helping cities optimize their mobility networks…

Safetipin

May 01, 2017

Safetipin is a map-based online and mobile phone application, founded in Gurgaon, India, that works to make communities and cities safer by collecting and disseminating safety-related information on a large scale through crowd sourcing and geospatial analysis. Co-founded by Kalpana Viswanath, an advocate and activist of women’s rights, the app enhances women’s safety in cities…

CityTaps

May 01, 2017

By leveraging the internet of things and smart water meters, CityTaps partners with local utility companies to expand service and guarantee water access to all households by using metering and micro-pre-payment process. This innovative solution combines mobile money and IoT technologies to allow users to prepay by volume, making in-home water access safer, convenient and…

The Learning Path to Inclusive Cities

Apr 27, 2017

The ways in which education and learning affect urban possibilities and challenges have been given little attention in the urban agenda. While cities are increasingly positioning themselves as global hubs for higher education, recognizing that high-skilled workers are critical for innovation and growth, education has much more to offer cities than economic prosperity alone. The…

what3words

Apr 25, 2017

The world is poorly addressed. Street addressing is often inadequate and while coordinates and alphanumeric systems are accurate, they are prone to errors in transcription and communication. what3words is a location reference system based on a global grid of 57 trillion 3mx3m squares; each square has been pre-assigned a unique 3-word address. Easier to remember…

Wecyclers

Apr 25, 2017

Wecyclers gives low-income communities in Lagos, Nigeria a chance to capture value from waste and clean up their neighborhoods through incentive based recycling. Recyclable goods collected from households are converted into an SMS-based point system that can be redeemed for useful goods and services. The collection of waste from the subscribers is done using low-cost…

How Urban Kiosks Can Be Attractive, Green Additions to the City

Apr 20, 2017

Architecture and buildings, whether private homes, office towers or public structures have always interested me. Having traveled extensively throughout my life, I have seen all kinds of buildings. It surprised me that there was rarely any consistent style for small structures such as kiosks, outdoor bars, food stalls, newsstands or vending booths. Almost all looked…

Jugnoo

Apr 19, 2017

Jugnoo is a leading auto-rickshaw aggregator, focused on doubling the driver’s efficiency and earnings and providing affordable transportation to the masses, all with a single tap. Since its launch in November 2014, Jugnoo has built a user base of around 2.5 million people and handles about 30,000 transactions each day. Jugnoo now offers service in…

Food Cloud

Apr 19, 2017

In cities across the world, food businesses frequently have food surpluses while charities struggle to provide food for those who need it most. Globally, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually while one in seven people don’t have enough to eat. FoodCloud is a social enterprise that has developed a unique, technological platform that…

BestMile

Apr 04, 2017

BestMile is an innovative Swiss startup developing technology for urban mobility. A spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), BestMile provides a fleet management platform designed to operate and optimize any fleet of autonomous vehicles. BestMile’s cloud technology leverages the full potential of autonomous vehicles to tackle urban mobility challenges. BestMile…

How Ordinary People are Crowdfunding Our Cities

Mar 28, 2017

A Q&A with Spacehive Founder and CEO Chris Gourlay Large technology companies, family businesses, communities, and individuals alike are now looking to use the city as a medium to achieve larger goals. Creatively using and understanding urban space can help businesses better meet their goals and grow, while also helping democratize urban processes and providing…