WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood is launching its Smart City Initiative, that will look at ways to increase smart technologies in the region’s infrastructure, with a focus on projects that promote sustainability, mobility, accessibility, resiliency and transparency. According to a press release from Joshua Schare, Communications Manager for the city of WEHO, the initiative will utilize technology to improve the community with positive impacts on quality of life, health, safety, and well-being.

“Technology is evolving rapidly,” said West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman. “West Hollywood’s Smart City Initiative will help us to evaluate innovative approaches and implement new technologies as we maintain and improve our infrastructure over the course of the future.”

To help with developing and implementing its Smart City Initiative, West Hollywood has partnered with CitiFi, LLC to work with the City’s Innovation Division in developing the WeHo Smart City Strategic Plan. CityFi is a leader in urban change management and assists with a team comprised of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Iteris, and Steer Davies Gleave. SOM is one of the largest and influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world; Iteris is a global leader in applied informatics for urban systems; and Steer Davies Gleave is one of the preeminent mobility consulting groups worldwide.

West Hollywood will introduce the Smart City Initiative during a Smart City Pop-Up Open House on Thursday, September 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Hollywood City Hall’s outdoor Community Plaza, located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard. Staff members from the City’s Innovation Division and CityFi team will attend the event and the open house will feature interactive programming about the core values of smart city strategic planning.

The WeHo Smart City Pop-Up Open House will include:

-Self-guided demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. —

Smart city technologies will be on-site for demonstration;

-Gallery walk from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Five zones will be organized by strategic plan core values, allowing attendees to walk through the space with the consultant team for a general introduction to smart city case studies. Attendees will provide feedback on strategies; and

-WeHo Smart City Talks from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. — Presentations by the project team will be followed by a Q&A

There are a several new Smart City projects taking place in West Hollywood, including the development of a municipal fiber backbone network, the acquisition and retrofit of light standards (street light poles) from Southern California Edison, and a cutting-edge Smart Bus Shelter project. The WeHo Smart City Strategic Plan will identify opportunities for enhancements to these projects as part of an overall guiding plan to integrate new technologies and streamline additional WeHo Smart City projects.

In November 2017, West Hollywood will host a “WeHo Smart City Symposium” during Innovate LA 2017. The symposium will be open to the public, as part of participation in Innovate LA, which is a countywide celebration of regional innovation that consists of events, lectures, and talks throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Additional details can be found at: www.weho.org/calendar.

For additional information about West Hollywood’s Smart City Initiative, visit www.weho.org/smartcity, or contact Kate Mayerson, West Hollywood’s Innovation Analyst at (323) 848-6464 or at kmayerson@weho.org. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, call TTY (323) 848-6496.