Thank You, and Get Ready for a Smart Austin in 2022!

Friends and colleagues,

Thank you for supporting the Austin Smart City Alliance (ASCA) in 2021.

We closed the year strong despite the challenges of 2021--and 2020. The past 22 pandemic months have been challenging for all of us and our families, friends, businesses, institutions, and communities. Virtually none of us live or work as we did before the pandemic, and probably none of us are without some pandemic fatigue. We persevered, however, by adapting our social behaviors and educational efforts, transforming and our business and organizations, and supporting each other.

For 2021, ASCA had great plans as soon as vaccines were available, but the timing, then the new variants, have delayed those until 2022. So, we continued to hold online seminars with expert speakers sharing ideas about smart cities, and we hosted safe (outdoors) networking events to keep ourselves connected and make new connections. Then, we closed 2021 by planning and executing an excellent hybrid (online and in-person) Texas Smart Cities Summit earlier this month, in collaboration with smart cities colleagues from Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio and with 120+ attendees from more than a dozen cities around Texas. The content for the Summit was outstanding, and the energy level for the in-person sessions was amazing!

After more than a year of safely sharing information and networking, it's clear that Austinites--and Texans--are ready for interaction, and action, in 2022! Our cities and communities face significant challenges in population health, public safety, mobility, economic development, education, equity, sustainability, and resiliency.

We will share summarized highlights and insights from the Summit on January 12 in our first ASCA Members' Meting of 2022, including a draft of our ASCA master plan for the entire year (and beyond). Austin Smart City Alliance Members, please join us on January 12 at noon CST to learn how we will make 2022 the big year for smart cities in Texas!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Jay Boisseau, Austin Smart City Alliance Founder and Executive Director
Jessica Sager, Austin Smart City Alliance Managing Director