Parramatta gained the prestigious Australia’s Smart City Award for 2020 due to the implementation of some dynamic and unique smart cities projects, particularly in response to COVID -19.
City of Parramatta's Councillor Sameer Pandey gives SBS Hindi the details. ”I am very pleased to be part of the Smart City Advisory Committee that guides the Council's Smart City Vision. This is a highly significant achievement considering there were more than 90 nominations and 23 local government areas in the running to win the Leadership City award,” Cr Pandey says.
- The City of Parramatta has received Australia’s leading Smart City Award for 2020.
- The Awards, by Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand, recognize organizations for world-leading liveability, workability, and sustainability.
- The City of Parramatta has rolled out a host of innovative projects and technological solutions.
Four innovative projects were put forward for nominations. “One was that of the Story Box which is the first of its kind in Australia. The concept is that of a large LCD screen, set up at Parramatta Square, and anyone from the community can tell a story which will be displayed on the screen.”
“It’s a concept of stories for the people by the people. A unique project which was launched a few months ago. This was done in partnership with ABC,” according to Cr Pandey.
The other project is that of the Melrose Park Development for which, along with the collaboration with the developers' sensors have been installed to monitor and collect data on a range of things like temperature, humidity, air quality, noise, and stormwater. This data will help improve the area’s liveability and be used to improve future planning.
Parramatta has several flood-prone areas. “A flood Smart App has been set up to warn residents if there are chances of flooding in their area, Cr Pandey advises.” The FloodSmart is Australia’s first automated real-time flash flood warning system.
Some other initiatives during the Pandemic have been the Pandemic Acceleration. “In the high traffic areas sensors have been installed at pedestrian crossings so that pedestrians don’t have to touch pushbuttons.”
Cr Pandey elaborating on the parking issues, advises, “In order to help resolve the parking problem, all parking has been mapped. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in the Parramatta CBD diners can park free after 6:00 pm during the Christmas break in the two Council car parks. They do need to spend more than $20.”
Parramatta is one of the most multicultural and second oldest cities in NSW. It has a very large population of Indian Australians who run their business and also reside in the area.
Cr Sameer Pandey concludes, “While credit for the award goes to the Council, it would have not been possible without the Advisory Committee, the Council staff, experts from various fields, and collaboration with educational institutions and the government’s help. The Council alone cannot achieve everything hence collaboration is the key to our progress.”
