COVID-19 set to curb US smart city projects

The number of new US smart city deployments is expected to fall seven percent in 2021 due to COVID-19, according to new analysis from Kagan, a research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The projection comes as coronavirus lockdowns and business closures have hit municipal tax income and the budgets of local governments hard. Kagan forecasts that city revenue will be flat over the near-term.

The economic climate could see a reprioritisation in the types of smart city projects that get the green light as well as a focus on new commercial models.

While the number of smart city projects in 2020 is projected to be up 14 percent on 2019, this growth is the result of budgets...