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Milton Keynes unveils Smart City Action Plan
The plan supports the Tech, Smart City, Digital and Creative Industries Strategy, designed to grow its global reputation as a smart city and home of innovation.
Milton Keynes City Council has set out its Smart City Action Plan aimed at tackling climate change, enhancing public health and delivering more cost-efficient public services.
It sets out the city council’s goals from its smart city and innovation work, and the workplan over the next two years to build a smarter and greener future.
Smart city and innovation testbed
The plan supports the city council’s Tech, Smart City, Digital and Creative Industries Strategy, which is designed to grow MK’s global reputation as a smart city and home of innovation.
A key strand of plan is to enable advanced technologies to operate in the city and encourage more innovative trials to address societal challenges, including sustainability, access to healthcare and the rising operational costs of public services.
“Our Smart City Action Plan ensures we continue to break down barriers between emerging tech and everyday life to prioritise how our residents can benefit”
“We’re really passionate about tech and innovation in Milton Keynes, especially if it means we can tackle climate issues, improve access to public health, create local jobs and deliver better public services for our residents,” said councillor Shanika Mahendran, cabinet member for economy, sustainability and innovation.
“Our Smart City Action Plan ensures we continue to break down barriers between emerging tech and everyday life to prioritise how our residents can benefit. If you have an idea for a smart city trial that can improve the lives of Milton Keynes residents, we want to hear from you.”
The key initiatives of the plans include:
- Enhanced partnerships: working closely alongside partners, including The Open University to drive marketing and engagement through the MK:Smart programme – a joint partnership to align smart city work
- Engagement: launching a comprehensive plan to involve residents through the new Experience Centre at centre:mk – a joint initiative between private sector partners and the city council, serving as a shop window for customers to experience and interact with robots and digital technologies
- Developing the testbed: the city council’s plans to build a world leading ‘city as a testbed’.
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The city council will continue to support nationally strategic innovation projects, positioning MK as a hub where technologies can be tested and scaled to benefit modern urban environments.
Last month more than 1,000 people attended the city council’s Artificial Intelligence Festival which brought together tech experts and businesses to showcase technologies that the city will benefit from in the coming years. Plans are already underway for next year’s Milton Keynes Tech Week event.
Milton Keynes has already built a reputation as a testbed where researchers can trial initiatives to help modern cities become greener and more pleasant places to live and work. Current live trials in the city involve self-driving shuttles, urban drone deliveries, and advanced radio communications. Already one in three jobs in the city are in tech, and the city council is determined to encourage further local tech investment, creating more skilled jobs for local people.
A council decision to approve the Smart City Action Plan is set for next week.
Any organisation with an interest in trialling new technologies in an urban environment can contact the city council through Invest Milton Keynes on enquiries@investmiltonkeynes.com.
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How will AI and machine learning improve public health in Milton Keynes?What role does the MK:Smart programme play in enhancing city connectivity?How can urban drone deliveries reduce environmental impact in Milton Keynes?In what ways will the Smart City Action Plan create local tech jobs?How does the Experience Centre promote resident engagement with new technologies?AI and Machine LearningAnalyticsConnectivity & DataEnergy & EnvironmentGovernance and CitizenMilton Keynesmobility
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