ANSI Establishes Network on Smart and Sustainable Cities

Forum Will Engage City Authorities to Identify Standardization Priorities

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is pleased to announce the establishment of the ANSI Network on Smart and Sustainable Cities (ANSSC), a forum for information sharing and coordination on voluntary standards, conformity assessment, and related activities for smart and sustainable cities in the U.S and abroad. Its objectives are:

• To get input from cities and local governments, organizations representing them, and organizations involved in urban infrastructure planning and development, on the challenges that cities are facing
• To enable standards practitioners to describe how standardization can assist cities and local governments in addressing critical issues
• To facilitate discussion among U.S. public- and private-sector stakeholders on needed standards and conformity assessment programs for smart and sustainable cities
• To promote awareness of standardization initiatives and related activities that support smart and sustainable urban infrastructure planning and development

A number of activities are underway in various international standards bodies to identify existing and needed standards for smart and sustainable cities. The network will provide a means for those with limited resources for standards participation to engage with ANSI and offer input to inform these efforts.

The network will convene via monthly web meetings - first meeting to be announced - featuring guest speakers with facilitated discussion and information sharing among all participants. Recordings and materials will be archived for those unable to attend. Other network benefits will include a directory of standardization activities, an online calendar of events, and a roster of network members.

Participation is open to all interested parties. While membership in ANSI is not required to participate, ANSI members pay a substantially discounted participation fee. Register before June 30 and save 10%. Click here to register.

The formation of the network comes on the heels of a November 2013 ANSI workshop on this subject [see related news item]. A follow-up meeting among key stakeholders in April 2014 confirmed that there is broad support for ANSI to convene the network. The meeting included representatives from industry, cities and local governments, organizations involved in urban infrastructure and sustainability, standards developing organizations, the federal government, and academia.

Commenting on the network, ANSI president and CEO Joe Bhatia said, "Standards and conformity assessment programs are a key foundation of urban infrastructure across all sectors including the built environment, energy, telecommunications, transportation, water and wastewater, health and human services, public safety, and other areas. The ANSI network will help to advance standardization as part of a solution set which can help cities to become smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient."

More information about the network can be found at www.ansi.org/cities.