Peachtree Corners – one of the United States’ first 5G smart cities powered by real-world connected infrastructure – has been honored by IEEE Smart Cities as a finalist with its Jury Award following the IEEE International Smart Cities Contest 2022. The organization brings together IEEE’s broad array of technical societies and organizations to advance the state of the art for smart city technologies and to set the global standard. IEEE formally presented this year’s winners at its flagship International Smart Cities Conference (ISC2) 2022 in Paphos, Cyprus on September 27. A link to the official awards can be found here: https://smartcities.ieee.org/ieee-smart-cities-contest-2022/results.

“The City of Peachtree Corners being honored by IEEE with its Jury Award is a reinforcement of our international position as one of the most unique smart city environments in the world. With economic development having been the focus from the beginning, we’ve created a model for better collaboration between public leaders and the top technology developers around the globe to advance the smart city concept in the United States. Our ultimate objective is to improve society and the daily lives and safety of our citizens, and we are proud to be recognized for our smart city efforts while not losing sight of our responsibility toward our citizens.” – Peachtree Corners City Manager Brian Johnson

The IEEE considered many aspects of the project, “City Street of the Future: The Smart City Blueprint for the U.S. is at the Heart of Silicon Orchard,” before selecting it. Peachtree Corners was recognized for its unique approach to city government and the proactive integration of technology into its short and long-term planning. This in addition to the strategic vision, economic development factors, real-world problems solved, impact on various federal government agencies or regulators, the city’s alignment with United Nations Sustainability Goals, and benefits for citizens to the architecture of technologies deployed were all considered during the evaluation.

“We’re honored that IEEE Smart Cities, which includes members across global power, energy, communications, information technology, government and academia, reaffirmed our vision and recognized some of the world firsts. From the first cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) system deployed in a U.S. city, the first IoT Central Control Room that aggregates data from sensors across city-owned smart infrastructure, one of the first cities in the country to deploy 5G in 2019, to strides in sustainable mobility with a 5G-powered autonomous shuttle fleet and the first teleoperated e-scooters in America, we’ve helped innovation grow here. Companies from across the globe are attracted to our welcoming community, our tech-forward government structure and real-world conditions that can’t be replicated in a closed lab.” – Peachtree Corners Assistant City Manager/Chief Technology Officer Brandon Branham

As an incubator, the Curiosity Lab acts as a community for these companies and technology developers to network and collaborate on projects that may not have been possible before. Some of the most prominent innovators and partner institutions are actively engaged in the city including T-Mobile, Cisco, Bosch, Qualcomm, Delta Airlines, Georgia Institute of Technology and many more. Peachtree Corners is also a hotspot for international technology companies of all sizes to launch into the North American market, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East.

For more information on the award recognition, or to schedule an interview with government officials, please [email protected].