ABSTRACT
Cities are open systems that live and develop by means of flows. Like for ecosystems, flows of energy and matter are essential components that together with information flows, fully characterize what is commonly known as the 'urban ecosystem'. The initiative started in Chicago and has since spread to other American cities: Washington, DC, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Milwaukee, and Newark, N. J. In Lyon, France, researchers at IBM in cooperation with the Municipality are developing a system that helps traffic operators reduce congestion on the roads. The system, called the Decision Support System Optimizer (DSSO), a mixed top-down/bottom-up system that uses real-time traffic reports to detect and predict congestion. Microsoft, Accenture and the city launched an energy-management pilot powered by the Azure cloud platform across four buildings in Seattle's downtown business area. The city also consulted Seattle City Light and the Seattle 20-30 District, a nonprofits organization consisting of 90 downtown building owners.
