Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) has announced the latest cohort to join its Living Lab program - an initiative aimed at implementing smart cities technologies to solve urban challenges. The new partners include urban tech startups Walkspan and Aclima, as well as the NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (NYU CUSP).

The three groups that are launching pilot studies work across a variety of fields, including air pollution monitoring, digital mapping, and spatial analysis. NYU CUSP will study traffic along Downtown Brooklyn’s Shared Street with light pole-mounted sensors to measure how the program affects traffic, pedestrians, and other users. Walkspan surveys the walkability of Downtown Brooklyn using their sidewalk microscale assessment and mapping system with a focus on several transit hubs. Aclima will measure the air quality of Downtown Brooklyn with its hybrid vehicle.

The data gathered through the Living Lab program is then used to solve operational challenges and quality of life issues in Downtown Brooklyn. Through this type of collaboration, DBP can serve as a catalyst for smart cities entrepreneurs and technologists to create scalable solutions to urban challenges.

“These smart cities projects represent a means of improving the safety, efficiency, and beauty of our neighborhood,” said Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Regina Myer. “The use of technology to improve the quality of life in Downtown Brooklyn also serves to support emerging creators at a time when many businesses are struggling. We’re excited to see what the partnership between organizations like ours and tech companies and institutions can produce and for our living lab to help cultivate new ideas and thriving companies.”

“Collaboration is a key to any successful community, and we are extremely pleased to have a partner at DBP who sees the value of enhancing society through innovation and promotes ideas that create smarter cities,” said Sayar Lonial, Associate Dean for Communications & Public Affairs, NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

“DBP’s Living Lab initiative is a valuable resource for startups looking to partner with local neighborhoods to apply their technologies to serve real community needs,” said Shaina Horowitz, VP of Product and Programs at Newlab. “We’ve seen this firsthand in our partnership with DBP. They are essential partners for startups like Aclima who are participating in Newlab’s Circular City Studio to deliver on NYC’s sustainability agenda.”

Past groups include:

Press

May 11 2018: Metro NY - Downtown Brooklyn becomes a living lab to let startups study the city
May 11 2018: Brooklyn Heights Patch - Downtown Brooklyn Gets Sensors To Measure Noise Pollution
May 14, 2018: Brooklyn Daily Eagle - With noise pollution a top source of 311 complaints, Brooklyn startup ‘listens in’
May 14, 2018: Propmodo - Brooklyn Is Latest Community to Open Itself up to Smart City Pilots