Autonomous urban mobility and smart city innovation in Calgary, Canada

Calgary illustrates how autonomous urban systems can be introduced through an iterative, citizen-centred programme. This U4SSC case study follows three phases between 2021 and 2024: building city-wide sensor, data-integration and command infrastructure; applying automated decision tools to transport, waste and energy; and extending them to public safety, planning and environmental monitoring. AI-based predictive analytics, common data standards, redundancy and failover mechanisms were central to the technical design. Public concerns about privacy and employment, together with legacy-system integration and reliability at scale, were addressed through a communications campaign, a citizen advisory board, phased deployment, data cleaning and continuous monitoring. Reported outcomes include a 22 per cent reduction in energy consumption, 25 per cent lower carbon emissions, an 18 per cent increase in recycling, 15 per cent less landfill waste, 20 per cent faster public-service responses and a 15 per cent rise in citizen satisfaction. The case shows that technical performance and public legitimacy must advance together, and that replication requires adaptation to local governance, infrastructure and innovation capacity.

More information available at: https://u4ssc.itu.int/