Networking equipment maker Cisco intends to build a sustainable city in Portugal. The company will work with Living PlanIT, a startup focused on developing large-scale sustainable technologies for construction projects and cities.
What will this city look like? For one thing, it’ll be wired with tens of millions of sensors providing real-time data to help manage common urban issues like traffic and crime. The 11-square-mile city will host 225,000 residents at a site in Paredes near the less sustainable city of Porto which is heavily populated and could be an example of a city benefiting from having a neighbor designed to be green.
Locals’ homes will use at least 50% less energy and 80% less water than regular city dwellers. And if saving wasn’t enough, the city will import waste from other areas and turn it into amino acid by-products pharmaceuticals can use.
Portugal’s government named the plan a “Project of National Importance,” and other cities, want in on the technology, including Las Vegas.
The project will have 25 phases, the first of which is slated to begin this year, and hopes to attract at least €550m in investments.