World’s first smart city research lab opens in Sydney

What is claimed to be the world’s first lab for planning future cities has officially opened at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).The new City Analytics Lab will support collaborative decision-making across agencies in a dedicated space for smart city planning and design. The aim is for the facility to enhance information-sharing among agencies responsible for planning and designing smarter, more ‘liveable’ future cities. Housed within UNSW’s Built Environment faculty, the City Analytics Lab uses interactive technology, big data, visualisation, virtual reality, and a variety of different planning models to support an interdisciplinary approach to decision-making for city planning and policy-making.