Peterborough has been named as one of the UK’s top 10 leading Smart Cities in a report published last week (commencing 23 October).

The Future Peterborough project, run by Opportunity Peterborough in partnership with Peterborough City Council, was given special recognition for its unique approach to sustainability and its approach to creating circular economy which aims to reduce waste and reliance on raw materials.

With cities looking to become more resilient and sustainable, Smart City projects like Future Peterborough have been heralded for playing a key role in overcoming some of the biggest challenges facing the country and its communities.

Smart Cities aim to integrate digital, social, economic and environmental systems to improve services, efficiency and sustainability. The research and ranking published by global information and communications company, Huawei, assessed the UK’s top 20 Smart Cities’ achievements in each of these areas as well as for their overall vision.

Peterborough scored highest for its Smart City strategy and also received the index’s Star Award 2017 for innovation in sustainability. The final ranking for Peterborough placed it higher than Cambridge, which came in at tenth, and the likes of Oxford, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Liverpool.

One highlight drawn from Peterborough’s Smart City achievements included the Circular City initiative which was commended as an important and unique perspective on innovation. The Circular City work aims to reduce waste and reliance on raw materials by keeping resources circulating within the economy for as long as possible.

Special praise was also given to Share Peterborough, the resource sharing platform which was launched in November 2016. Scaled-up from originally focusing on the Fengate area, Share Peterborough now has over 200 companies registered as members so they can make better use of underused resources across the city. Examples include leftover bread that could be used for brewing to providing desk fans for hospices free of charge.

Peterborough’s Internet of Things (IoT) based sustainable drainage programme was also highlighted as one of the city’s top achievements. By integrating data from rising river levels with internal systems at the City Council, there is a more intelligent understanding of rising river levels, allowing for more rapid and effective interventions to be put in place.

Steve Bowyer, chief executive at Opportunity Peterborough said, “It’s great to see Peterborough recognised for its efforts to create a better city for its citizens and businesses. Our position in the index reflects that whilst we look for solutions that might be empowered we don’t look just at digitally led answers: we want to create a ‘future Peterborough’ rather than a ‘futuristic’ city which is resilient and sustainable, and a great place to live, work and invest.”

Cllr Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for Growth, Planning, Housing and Economic Development at Peterborough City Council said, “Seeing Peterborough retain a prominent position within the UK’s top Smart Cities, finishing higher than the likes of Cambridge and Oxford, is a real testament to just how much the Future Peterborough team has achieved. As the report points out, it’s vital for Smart City projects to have active support from local authorities in order to achieve the best outcomes for everyone. Peterborough City Council will continue to support the work of the Future Peterborough team to ensure we can enhance as many services as possible.”

To read the full report, visit: http://e.huawei.com/uk/marketing-material/onLineView?MaterialID={A81CFA81-C7A8-4E8F-A088-963C7E73F3CC}

To find out more about the Future Peterborough project, visit: www.futurepeterborough.com