Quickly establishing itself as a proactive location committed to improving prospects for individuals and businesses alike, Sunderland continues to implement proactive investments to futureproof the city.
Our forward thinking Planning and Transportation team at Sunderland City Council, explains the revolutionary nature of the Sunderland’s Smart City Programme; driven by a resolute vision to futureproof the city, fostering individual and commercial opportunities.
To create liveable and inclusive cities fit for the future, myself and the forward-thinking team at Sunderland City Council has committed to keep pace with global growth, investing multi-millions in infrastructure and rebuilding existing connections.
Already recognised as a digital leader, Sunderland is a city in which businesses can thrive and individuals can live modern, supported lives with in-built support systems and initiatives in place to fuel success.
The council’s vision for our smart city includes the installation of 2.6km of fibre ducting into the entire length of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor 3 (SSTC3). This is bolstering the infrastructure to support forthcoming business and residential developments in the area.
SSTC is a continuous dual carriageway link between the A19 and the Port of Sunderland. Phase 3 of this project (SSTC 3) is the critical link between the Northern Spire and the city centre, due for completion in 2021.
The implementation of ducting under the new SSTC3 will enable the installation of new ultrafast connectivity. This project represents proactive council investment in futureproofing our infrastructure assets and is an indication of our smart plans to prevent any need for re-digging of the newly installed highway later by investing in the future, now.
During these unprecedented times work continues with strict adherence to recommendations from the government and Public Health England to ensure the health and safety of our workforce and our communities.
The rapid urbanisation of the world’s population presents a huge challenge and projects, such as the SSTC3 ducting, represent one part of the solution to address this challenge. Encouraging teams to think about interconnected sectors such as water infrastructure, transport, health, energy and food and proactively take advantage of collaboration opportunities; will enable cities of the future, including Sunderland, to evolve to become more efficient, environmentally and commercially resilient, as well as socially cohesive for the mutual benefit of residents and businesses.
Sunderland’s ability to demonstrate a step-change in thinking, creativity and planning – through innovative partnerships and the speedy implementation of planned projects – is setting our smart City of Sunderland up for a bright future.
For more information about our smart city plan, visit www.sunderlandoursmartcity.com