AECOM is sponsoring the Smart Cities Connect (SCC) Conference & Expo in Austin, Texas, which runs from June 25-28. SCC, co-located with the US Ignite Application Summit, convenes 200+ global city leaders to prospect and partner with innovative technology and service providers.

Bill Abolt, AECOM Vice President, Energy, will help kick off the conference with the Monday morning Energy and Buildings Keynote and follow up as moderator of the opening smart utilities panel featuring smart city leaders from ComEd, the City of Boston and City Digital.

Keynote: City and Utility Partnerships an Essential Ingredient for Smart City Success

Energy infrastructure is being transformed. The electric grid of the future will be a two-way, technology enabled system able to accommodate greater distributed generation resources, engage active energy management by utility customers and achieve unprecedented levels of security and resilience. North American utilities will invest over $20 billion annually on the transformation. Can these investments create the platform for smart services and how can cities and their utilities work together to accelerate smart city progress? The presentation will discuss principles for city and utility collaboration and best practice examples where collaboration and partnerships are making smart cities a reality.
Bill Abolt, Vice President, Energy, AECOM

Moderator: Smart Utilities Vision: A New Paradigm of City Planning

From microgrids to fiber systems, from autonomous vehicle infrastructure to smart greywater systems, transformation of utilities planning is a central element of smart cities implementation. Can smarter utilities become the platform for and accelerate progress towards smarter cities? Across the country, some progressive utilities and cities are answering the question and leading that transformation. ComEd’s Public Purpose Microgrids strategy is driving the transformation to smart infrastructure, cities and utilities of the future. Its Bronzeville Microgrid demonstrates utility leadership and lays out a compelling vision of a Community of the Future. Instead of working on single solutions in energy, ICT, water, or mobility, Boston is comprehensively planning all utilities for a single urban district. Boston’s Smart Utilities Vision addresses technologies, critical governance structures, cross-sector collaboration, and investment options. The panel discussion will highlight leading programs; discuss the critical roles of city utility collaboration and the implications for accelerating smart city adoption.

  • Bill Abolt, Vice President, Energy, AECOM (moderator)
  • Travis Sheehan, Senior Infrastructure Advisor, Boston Redevelopment Authority
  • Joe Svachula, VP, Smart Grid, ComEd
  • Amy Cording, Chief Engineer, City of Boston’s Public Improvement Commission
  • Brenna Berman, Executive Director, City Digital, UI Labs

Read more about AECOM’s services for Smart Cities below. For more information, please contact William Abolt.